Tick Tock
by MidnightLove87
Summary: Bella has had a rough life, but is trying to start out fresh with new beginnings in Boston. Will her old life haunt her? What secrets will she be able to keep and what will she end up having to explain to her new friends? Find out as she tries to survive high school.
1. Prologue

**Here's my new one, the girls in my group will recognize it.**

**A huge thank you to MC and all her help as always.**

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**Prologue**

I was in the dark room _again_. The whirring blasting out of the speakers on the beige equipment that had been rolled up next to me. It was like this every time. The anxiety would flow through my veins making me twitch as it went. I hated showing any fear, especially now. I looked up at him. It was so weird having him next to me this time.

His presence was so unnerving. Questions kept running through my head, whether or not he would run once he saw the screen, or if he would stay.

The cold gel made me shiver as I waited on baited breath for the technician to finish her task. She'd really dolloped it up on there this time. He squeezed my hand harder sensing my anxiety, and I squeezed right back.

The techs hair was blond this time, but it was the same one that had done all of the rest of them, including the first one just six months ago, when I first moved here.

Ashley. Sweet and kind, she seemed like she knew what she was doing when it came to her job, but that was about it. She never said much, I guess it really wasn't her place.

I remembered her name because I found myself staring at her badge while I waited that day. Anything to take away from the nerves that were welling up in my stomach, something to distract me. This time I was searching for something again, anything to divert my attention from the reality of the moment. I stared at the border running along the top of the ceiling; it was of babies all laying in cradles that were hung in trees.

My mind raced.

Yeah, not quite as distracting as I would've hoped.

I searched for anything that would take my mind away from what was on the screen.

My eyes slid shut and I tried to concentrate on the sounds… all of them blending together and then separating in my ears, over and over again.

I listened as her fingers clicked across the keyboard and the whirring got louder. Then his breath would catch, but he would calm himself before I could even look up at him.

Click, whir, hitch… Click, whir, hitch. Separate… then together. A continuous, torturous loop.

It was almost like its own composition.

More clicks and then her hand moved. I knew she was just doing her job, but man that shit was painful. The pushing was almost at the point of unbearable, forget uncomfortable.

Not to mention the fact that I needed to pee.

"Almost done," she said softly.

She was sweet, like I said. She understood. Making me wonder even though she wasn't wrapped too tight, maybe she was a mother. Her caring side seemed to radiate through her gentle demeanor.

I nodded and closed my eyes before squeezing his hand again.

Finally one last click before she sighed.

I wondered if that sigh had anything to do with what she saw on the screen or not.

"Okay, you're done. Go ahead and get dressed, the doctor will be in to see you in just a moment."

Another squeeze and then Ashley pushed the cart through the door and was gone.

I looked at him and smiled gently but said nothing, I mean really, what was there to say?

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**I'll see you later for chapter 1. **

**This one is very close to my heart, so please leave me some love and tell me what you think!**


	2. Fun & Sun

**Okay, to answer some questions... This story will be told in both Bella and Edward point of views. The chapters will mostly be short. A few will be longer. The update schedule will be Wednesdays from here on out until Crushing is finished. Once that's done, maybe more. We'll see. **

**As always a big thanks to MC for all her help. This one has been weighing on me and she's been the trooper holding my hand through the whole thing. **

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**Chapter 1**

**BPOV**

"Bella why don't you wear one of these instead of that old fuddy duddy one?" Alice asked brightly as she went through her drawer of swimwear.

Strings with small pieces of brightly colored cloth attached to them flew by my head.

Alice and I had been joined at the hip since I moved here three months ago. She befriended me with her warm, welcoming smile, as soon as she'd laid eyes on me, and I was so thankful for her friendship. She was a cool chick and kept me on my toes. Not only that but she also thought my brown eyes were pretty, which definitely scored some points in my book.

And finally in this plethora of cityscapes and cloudy days the sun decided to shine its ass off today.

Which meant we were going swimming. Normal seventeen year olds would be excited, normal seventeen year olds would be raring to go. Normal seventeen year olds would also jump at the chance to throw on a bikini and catch some rays.

But not me, I guessed that meant I wasn't your normal seventeen year old.

That also meant I would need to be in some kind of a bathing suit... definitely _not _a bikini; I would be wearing my high neck black one piece that Alice had come to despise. She didn't believe anyone under the age of 60 should own one, much less wear one. And certainly not me.

"I like this one," Alice said flinging a tiny, fuchsia colored two-piece at me.

My face heated, there was no way I could tell her the truth, but I couldn't just say no either.

"Come on, Bella, you would look so fucking sexy with your _ass_ets!" she said beaming those big blue eyes at me. They went so well with her long, almost black, hair. She was a true natural beauty that was for sure. With her tan skin and gorgeous features I swore she could be a model.

I looked nothing like her.

I shook my head and handed it back to her, "I can't Ally, it's... um... against my religion."

It wasn't really, but I was pretty damn sure it was the only way I was getting her off my back.

She looked really fucking confused, but laid off me. Instead, she politely handed me back my black one piece and I excused myself to the bathroom.

In there, I was alone. My thoughts raced, it seemed like they wouldn't stop with that shit lately. It was getting more and more difficult to stave off the questioning looks, and I was finding it a bit stressful. My heart would start pounding and my head would get clouded. It was worse before, when I first got here. But it still happened frequently. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't manage it though. I just took deep breaths, in and out, in and out, until I felt my body center again.

I sighed to myself when I finished changing and was looking in the mirror. I couldn't tell Alice of all people. The pitiful looks would start up again and I wasn't ready for that onslaught. I just wanted to be normal. I needed some more time. I was still the new girl here and I didn't need any more stigmas surrounding me. I grabbed the 65 spf sunblock lotion that was on the counter top and slathered it all over the exposed areas of skin on my body.

I hadn't been out in the sun, like this, in five years. I was a pasty, pasty bitch and I was sure, as soon as I stepped out into the blazing sun I would look something like a cooked lobster. That couldn't happen. Not with everything else going on.

I walked out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom and went to grab my bag. I needed my cover up, sunglasses and hat.

I was prepared because I remembered from... _before_... what would happen if I got a sunburn... and I wasn't about to go through that shit again.

"Bella, you look like a bag lady," Alice chirped when she saw the final product.

I shrugged, "I've got fair skin."

She scrunched up her nose, but I didn't say anything or make a move to take any of my extra clothes off.

She didn't seem to press the topic any more than that, so I was pretty fucking happy.

"Whatever, let's do this," she said dragging me down the stairs. "Time to enjoy some sun!"

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**So what are all of your thoughts now?**


	3. Crystal Blue Water

**You guys are killing me with the reviews! Thank you so much! **

**A big thanks to MC for taking this on despite her busy schedule and putting up with my shit! She's the best!**

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**Chapter 2**

**BPOV**

I sank my feet down in to the pool, letting the cold water seep up my legs. I sighed and immediately my body relaxed. _So fucking good…_ It felt wonderful in the one hundred plus degree weather. The sun blared down on me and I enjoyed the feel of the heat seeping through my thoroughly sunblocked skin.

It had been five years since I had swam in any manner, so I decided to plunk my ass on the side of the pool for a while and just enjoy the experience. Alice had taken to jumping in right away, splashing me on her way. I laughed at her enthusiasm.

She waded through the pool over to me, resting her now wet arms on the coping stones.

My eyes looked around the backyard, taking it all in finally. There was lush, green grass, a tiny grove of trees and even a gazebo. All of this was topped off by a massive deck that led out to the patio that was connected to the pool.

Alice's parents had some money and they were actually able to afford a house in the outer echelon. Boston was expensive so most of my new friends from school lived in condos like me. Ali was fucking lucky though, she had a backyard and an awesome pool. But the best part of all was she didn't act like a spoiled rich kid. She was totally cool; so down to earth and friendly.

"Come on, jump in," she said sending a little splash my way. My thighs glistened with the droplets. And the cold water sent a little jolt through me. I forgot how refreshing a pool could be.

It wasn't as if I had never been in a pool, or the ocean for that matter. When I lived in Florida, Jacksonville to be exact, I used to go all the time. Up until I was twelve... and then I couldn't. But now, things had changed, gotten somewhat better, and I could start living again, albeit within limitations.

And I was taking it easy, but still enjoying myself. I was trying really hard to make sure no one regretted the new changes we had made. I would live as directed.

"Ali, I just wanna sit here for a second," I told her lifting the brim of my huge hat a little, letting the sun sink in on my skin.

What a wonderful feeling it was to actually be able to enjoy the sun's sizzling rays for a few minutes. I knew I'd have to re-apply some sunblock in a bit and I was careful to keep an eye on the color of my skin.

"What time is Jasper getting here?" I asked as I swirled my foot lazily in the crystal blue water. It was gorgeous, like out of a picture.

Jasper was like an extension of Alice. He was a wonderful guy who had a sweet attitude about life. His blue eyes almost matched Alice's, and I couldn't wait for them to get married and have kids; they were sure to be adorable and have little blue eyes too. I just knew it.

"He should be here in ten, he said he was bringing some friends with him," she said before disappearing under the water again.

Her black hair flowed behind her, making her look mermaid-like. She was truly a lovely person; both inside and out.

I sighed. _Great... more new people._

I loved people, I wasn't antisocial or anything, but it was just difficult... with everything considered. Plus, I wasn't used to meeting new people and it was uncomfortable for me – nothing came easy for me.

"Have I met them?" I asked casually when she came up for air again.

The sun was so hot and that water was looking better and better. I was feeling the need to cool down.

She shook her head, "Nah, not Edward, but I think you've met Sarah and Emmett."

I tried to think about it; yes, I remembered those two names. I had met Alice through my dad; he was like a networking machine, even though he was a giant germaphobe. You laugh, but it was the truth. Charles Swan was a brilliant but complicated man.

He worked as a financial consultant for people who had more money than God, and through that business network he met lots of interesting and influential people. Some that were more beneficial to him than others. And because he did his job so successfully, he'd made Mr. Brandon a very wealthy man. In turn, Mr. Brandon felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and introduced me to his daughter, Alice, knowing I was new in Boston. That was three months ago. The rest was history. She'd pretty much been there every waking moment since… well, except for my appointments.

Alice had been a trooper though. She never once questioned my vague statements about where I'd been, or commented about my first reaction to sitting in grass, or even playing with the sand. She was cool and took all my quirks in stride.

And she'd been slowly introducing me to more and more people over the past few months. It had been a whirlwind of a summer.

School would start in another month, and she thought it would be good if I knew some people, and actually had some friends from there before we started our senior year. I thought it was too, and was thankful for her help, so I had let Alice do the introducing.

I knew there would be bouts of panic-like attacks. It was only to be expected; just a fact of my everyday life. But I also knew it would get easier as time went on and maybe one day, they wouldn't be there at all.

I smiled to myself at the thought.

"Hey what're you grinning about over there?" Alice asked playfully before leaning back and kicking her long legs freely through the water.

"Nothing," I said with a smirk.

"Good. Then, get your ass in here."

I chuckled at her attempt at a commanding voice.

I couldn't take the sun anymore anyways so I stood up and stripped out of my cover up and hat. I grabbed the sunblock again – a necessity for me. I laid down on the chaise as I slathered some more of that good slimy stuff all over me.

"B, don't you think you have enough of that shit on you?" she asked looking annoyed. I knew damn well Alice wanted me to be tan like her, but that just wasn't possible for me. She didn't understand, but I was sure I could deflect her without divulging all my secrets.

I laughed off her comment before getting up and grabbing my bag.

I was bending over packing all my stuff away, so I could finally get in that delicious looking water, when I heard voices.

"Ali? Holy shit! I never knew you had such a great ass!" A deep voice bellowed from behind me, and just as I was about to stand up, arms wrapped around my midsection making me stop dead.

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**So what are your thoughts now?**

**I love all the guesses! **

**I'll see you Friday for a Crushing teaser in the group! **


	4. Hello Pretty!

**Sorry about the delay, some stuff came up, but it's okay now. **

**A big thank you to MC as always!**

**Here we go!**

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**Chapter 3**

**BPOV**

"Emmett, put Bella down!" Alice shouted as she got out of the pool. Her protective side was coming out, little mama bear as I liked to call her in my head.

Well, it made sense that it was Emmett who was holding me since he was like a fucking giant, but I didn't understand why.

Not to mention no one outside of my mom and dad... and Alice, have touched me in the past five years, so I was really debating whether or not I should go diving in my bag for my hand sanitizer that my dad packed away for me.

Thankfully, Em finally did set me down safely.

I had to take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment. It was a desperate attempt to control my unsettling feelings. I really wasn't good with contact like that, yet.

When I opened them again I saw as Alice leapt into Jasper's arms and she gave him a passionate kiss. It was so sweet and touching. I hoped that one day I would find and be able to have a loving relationship like that. Maybe…

I turned to see a blond bombshell standing there staring at me like I had grown another head. Sure, maybe I was weird, but I didn't really care for people touching me, that was just a product of my life. Yeah, Em was pretty but not quite anything I liked looking at; his bulging muscles were a bit intimidating actually. And I really didn't want him picking me up and squeezing me. I shuddered.

Again, besides medical professionals and close family, I hadn't been touched by a lot of people in a long time and it was uncomfortable for me.

"Sarah, it's nice to see you again," I said when I had mentally calmed myself down.

She smiled and stopped looking at me like I was an alien.

Her hand went to her hip and she looked like an Abercrombie model. Fuck, I must've looked like Wednesday Adams with all my pasty skin.

I was momentarily distracted as Jasper pushed Alice into the pool. She screeched as she landed in the water and a few seconds later she came up bobbing for air. I turned my attention back to Sarah who was grinning at them.

"It's good to see you too, B," she said wrapping her arms around Em. They were 'friends with benefits' according to Alice. And even though I hadn't lived life like a normal teenager, I did know what that meant and entailed.

It really irked me if I was being honest, but that was probably because I hadn't ever even kissed a boy, much less found someone to have a friends with benefits relationship. I sighed wondering if that would ever become a possibility for me.

Sarah and Emmett moved along and put their things down on the next chair over, and that was when I noticed another guy had apparently arrived with them.

He was... well if Em didn't do it for me... this guy... yeah, he did. Holy shit, now_ he_was pretty!

And of course I stood there drooling like a fool because all he was in was black board shorts and sandals. I was getting excited and I knew I needed to calm myself down before I made a fool of myself and other bad shit happened to me. This was not the place for that to happen.

"Hey Bella," Jasper said when he reached the side of me.

"Hey Jas, what's new?" Jas was really easy to talk to and that was a great thing for someone like me.

"Not much," he said as we both watched as Alice pulled herself out of the pool dripping wet, looking like she had just stepped out of music video, and walked over to me.

"Come on B, I'll introduce you and then you'll have a name to put with the little fantasy that's cooking up in there," she whispered and tapped on my forehead, before she dragged me across the burning cement over to the new pretty guy.

My face heated at her words. Alice knew me so well already and yet I was still embarrassed when she pointed out little things like that. I was too innocent for my own good.

Close up, yeah he was still just as pretty. _Damn!_

"Bella, honey, this is Edward Cullen," she said waving her hand in front of him, "and E, this is Bella, she'll be a senior at EBHS with us this year."

His eyebrows rose, "Really, I wasn't aware we were going to have any fresh meat in our group."

Alice gave him a stern look before he smiled this heart stopping grin and reached a hand out. I didn't want to leave him hanging, so I threw my hand out there too and boy when they touched, even for such a simple shake it was really something. Almost like getting a shock.

_Who knew a handshake could be intense?_

"Bella, it's nice to meet you. Ali talks about you all the time," Edward said before dropping my hand.

I blushed. It was such a disarming comment.

What exactly was Ali saying to this guy about me? And all the time… come on.

"Don't worry it's all good stuff," he said before swinging an arm around me and Ali, and then walking us over to where Sarah and Em were lounging.

My skin seemed to burn almost from where his arm rested around my shoulders, and my blush got so much worse. They were going to think I had a sunburn on my face if I didn't control my emotions pronto.

I broke off away from them for a moment and made it look like I was rummaging through my bag yet again.

I did a few deep breathing exercises as quietly as I could and thankfully no one seemed to notice. I was beginning to wonder if this was my body's way of telling me I wasn't quite ready for all of this yet.

By the time I turned around I was happy to see they all weren't staring at me.

And what's more, I realized that I didn't mind Edward's touch. _Wow!_

Finally, after a few more minutes of chatter, Emmett cannonballed in, and I was right behind him because that water looked too good to resist and I still hadn't been in yet.

I swam around for a minute as all of my swimming abilities slowly came back to me. It felt strange being in the water when I hadn't been for so long, but I really liked it. The feeling of _buoyancy_ and lightness was so energizing. So I swam around and splashed Em a bit as I got used to it.

Swimming was like riding a bike. Even if you hadn't done it in a while, your natural instincts began to kick in eventually.

"Look at you Bella, you're like a fish," Em said with a snort.

I scowled at him.

Sure, I wasn't as graceful as the others, but come on it had been five years.

"Shut up ass!" I said before scowling at him.

Ali dove in then, all beautiful and soft into the water, making me look even more like a spaz. Edward was sitting on the ledge with his feet in the water, while Sarah was soaking up some rays on a lounger.

So me, Ali, Jas and Em swam around a bit. It was wonderful and so refreshing.

But then, all of a sudden, I got tired. Like _really_ tired, as if the wind had been knocked out of me. I barely had enough strength to swim to the side of the pool and pull myself out to sit on the ledge. I rested myself there, trying to catch my breath and get a hold of myself. I blinked a few times and willed myself not to pass out. Shit, I knew better than to exert myself like that.

I took a few deep breaths and steadied myself, bracing my body with both hands anchored on either side of my legs. I was hoping I hadn't drawn any attention, but when I looked up, I could see Edward looking in my direction. Sure, his sunglasses disguised his eyes, but his head was definitely tilted this way. I was worried for a moment if what had just happened to me was all that noticeable and how he'd react. But he finally looked away and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I watched as Sarah finally got up and dipped herself in the water. She was looking pretty red so it was probably a good time for her to give up the tan.

Edward though didn't look fazed by the sun; his golden skin only looked a bit darker. He looked like the kind of guy that wouldn't wear a shirt in the summer unless he had to. That made me smile for some reason. And those sunglasses...

Then I froze as I watched him get up and walk over to me. His well-toned arm reached down and held himself steady as he kicked his feet out over the ledge and into the pool water, settling himself right beside me. He offered me a huge smile when he was situated.

I, of course, tried to smile back like he had, but I was sure I looked awkward. I was still a bit fatigued and not quite ready to take on the world again.

"So you're from Florida?" he asked after a moment.

I nodded and tried not to blush again.

"You're nothing like I would've expected," he said thoughtfully, before looking out over the pool.

_What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

"Really?" I asked a bit breathless.

He snorted, "Yeah, well, when a chick says they're from Florida I kind of expect them to be tan or maybe know how to swim."

I laughed. "What can I say, I didn't get out much." Boy, if he only knew what a fucking understatement that was.

"Well, that will change if you keep hanging out with the likes of these people," he said pointing to Em and Ali.

"Yeah, I know," I said with a light chuckle.

"So, Bella, what did you like to do back home for fun?" he asked after a moment.

I searched my mind for something that wouldn't make me sound completely lame. Because I really had nothing to tell.

"Uh…I hung out and stuff," I told him vaguely. It was partly the truth because I did hang out with people, online; that was where the majority of my friend base existed . The internet was my friend. It connected me to a whole world of nice people who claimed to be my friends.

"Cool."

"What about you?"

He shrugged, "Hang out, watch a movie, or go to a game."

"A game?" I asked.

His fingers reached up and he moved his sunglasses up on top of his head as he peered down at me. When I looked up into his eyes I was met with the most intensely green set of eyes I had ever come across. They were breathtaking and I was so glad he wasn't waiting for a response from me, because I was a little busy trying to calm myself down… again.

"I know the Marlins are probably very important to you, but around here we like the Sox and if you're going to survive as my friend, you should start liking them too."

I was a little taken aback at his words until he cracked a grin that made my mind all goopy. Then he winked at me.

"I've never actually been to a game before," I said softly with a blush.

"Really, not one?"

I shook my head.

"Well B, we'll just have to go to one then, since they're my favorite team," he told me with sincerity.

That kind of promise made me all sorts of happy and I began to wonder what I had missed in the past five years, because being a teenager wasn't so bad, right?

We talked for a while since he showed no interest in going in the pool. Edward was very sweet and attentive, and I knew I had made another new friend. It was a fun afternoon and I had a great time. Such a change from the life I was used to. And what else was different was the feeling that I was left with after Edward, Em and Sarah went home. It was like, even though Edward had just left, I wanted to see him again.

So weird yet so comforting.

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**So what are your theories now? **

**What'd you think of Bella's reaction to Edward? **

**:)**

**See you Friday for the Crushing Teaser! **


	5. Lysol, Hand Sanitizer, and then Dinner

**So it's wednesday again! haha**

Thanks to MC for her awesome help with this one!

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**Chapter 4**

**BPOV**

I got a ride home from Alice. She understood that my dad was kind of different and wouldn't really want to pick me up.

He would if he had to, you know? But hey, why push his limits when there was no need.

I hadn't had a chance to get my driver's permit yet. My dad planned to take me soon, but I knew he had to mentally prepare himself because that meant time he'd have to spend in a very public place, touching things. And to him that would be extremely disturbing. So I was still waiting patiently. It was going to be a while.

I walked in and ran my hand under the auto feed sanitizer that was hanging next to the door, and then I took a Lysol wipe and went over the handle and anything else that I came close to touching.

I toed off my shoes and placed them in the Rubbermaid box, then put the cover back on before reaching for the sanitizer _again_.

This was Dad's way that things had to be done upon entering our house, and even though I found it annoying, it was really the only way he felt comfortable in his own home. So, I wasn't about to knock it, since I was finally living with him for the first time.

I clicked on the aerosol mister and the HEPA filter as I walked on through the house.

"Dad, I'm home," I said hollering through the door to his room.

"Okay, shower and change your clothes and I'll meet you at the table for dinner," he said through the door.

Yeah, he didn't like opening the door when he knew I had been out. It was okay though, it didn't offend me. I was used to it now, not to mention he had been this way before when I used to see him in Jacksonville.

Dad was one of a kind. He would make the fifteen hundred mile trek down there twice a month just to see me. He wasn't big on planes so it was always by car, well except for one time. But yeah, he was a great dad. And we used to spend loads of time on the phone. He even gave Mom extra money so she didn't have to work and could spend more time with me.

That was one of the best gifts he could've ever given me when I was living with my mom.

"'Kay," I shouted back and headed for my room.

He cleaned in there every day, even though I kept it pretty tidy, he felt it needed to be cleaner, so that's what he usually spent his free time doing.

I took off my clothes and put them in the bag that he asked me to use specifically for my worn clothes. They were special bags that kept the germs inside, and then you just dumped them upside down into the washer and you didn't have to touch the germ infested clothes. At least that was my dad's logic.

Then I headed for my shower. We had separate ones because my dad would definitely not be able to share. That was fine by me though, it just meant that I didn't have to share with him either. I loved having my own bathroom, it was a luxury I'd never had before.

This one was wonderful and thankfully handle free, which made it feel even that much better.

I showered and scrubbed with the antibacterial wash that he had asked me to use. It smelt like vanilla so I really didn't mind at all.

The hot steam curled all around while I took the sunblock off my skin. It was like shedding a heavy layer of clothes.

After I was showered, I got dressed in the hyper clean clothes I'd set out, before walking back out to the kitchen. Just jeans and t-shirt, nothing fancy here with Dad, and I loved that I could be so relaxed and comfortable in my new home.

Dad was standing over at the microwave while our dinners cooked away in there. His green plaid shirt was firmly in place as it always was when he wasn't in the office. Dad was the kind of guy who definitely preferred comfort over style, and his favorite pair of blue jeans and a plaid button up were the typical uniform for around home. I couldn't blame him though, if I had to wear a suit and tie day in and day out I would want to be comfortable at home too.

"Hey, Dad," I said quietly, letting him know that I was back out.

"Hey, babygirl," he said as he set our dinners on the table, "How was your day?"

"Good, you?"

He nodded and reached for the individually wrapped plastic ware that we used at home. He finished off by handing me a water, his he wiped off, but since I didn't like the taste of lemon cleanser, he'd taken to not cleaning mine off before handing it to me and scrubbing at his own.

"So what did you and Alice do today?" he asked as he took his seat at the table.

I pulled out my chair and sat down too. I pulled back the plastic on my meal. My dinner was a meatloaf blob and some kind of mash potatoes. I wanted to be disgusted but this what he was comfortable with, so I rolled with it, not wanting to upset him by being ungrateful.

"We went swimming with some kids from the neighborhood," I said through a bite of potatoes.

"Did you have fun?" I watched as his mustache moved with every bite he took. It was a bit comical, but I stopped myself from cracking a smile.

"Oh yeah, it was great."

"And you wore plenty of sunblock?" he asked in a fatherly tone, he didn't often break it out much anymore. He knew I was a good kid who followed her rules, and he didn't have to worry about me too much.

"Yes, Dad, lots of it," I answered, trying to quell his fears.

"Good," he said as his brown eyes met mine and he smiled.

Yep, I had gotten his eyes, but that was pretty much it though. Dad and I didn't look a hell of a lot alike, but that was okay, we both had a pretty funny sense of humor.

Yeah, you would think a guy who was freaked out by germs would be a little bit uptight, but not my dad. He loved comedies as much as I did. He just preferred to wait until they came out on DVD so he could watch them in the comfort of his own sanitized home.

We finished dinner and sat down to watch some television. Wheel of Fortune was our thing. We put it on and let it relax us, playing right along with it; we had some great laughs at each other's stupid guesses for the puzzles. During the commercials we chatted some more about my day and I told him about swimming for the first time in five years, and how great it'd felt. I didn't tell him about my episode because we both expected that kind of thing to still happen, and he knew I'd tell him if I was worried about anything feeling abnormal. He smiled and said he was glad I was finally getting a chance to be a normal kid. Then it was time for Jeopardy. After that I pulled out a book and he watched the news. Dad was so easy to be around, we had a good relationship, and aside from the germ phobia, which I was getting used to, I loved living here with him.

I was usually dog tired by nine, so I excused myself and went off to bed. I knew it was very important that I listened to my body's signals when it was telling me it was time for something – like water, food, or sleep.

"Don't forget about your appointment tomorrow, kiddo," he reminded me as I strode off to my room.

"I won't Dad, I promise," I responded as I opened my bedroom door.

_Another __day, another __appointment…_

* * *

**What'd you think of Bella's dad? Or his crazy germaphobic ways? **

**Any other guesses as to what's going on with her?**

**Do you think they have a good relationship?**

**See you on Friday in the group for the Crushing Teaser! **


	6. New School, New Rules

**My love MC has been a huge help with this one! **

**Now... on with the chapter... **

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**BPOV**

The sun was out again, as I dressed for the day, and I smiled hoping it was a sign of good things to come. I was smiling and that was enough for me.

I was nervous, even though I had gone over my outfit with Alice three times the night before. I couldn't have her over really, and I wasn't about to bring the clothes to her house. That would mean having to rewash the clothes I hadn't even worn yet before I brought them back home. I already had to wash them from when I bought them.

So instead I sent her a bunch of pictures from my phone.

My dad really didn't like cell phones because they were germ infected devices, but he knew I needed one, and when I asked if I could have an iPhone he quickly agreed since I never really asked for much.

Alice already had one for almost two years now, so she was on hand to show me anything I couldn't figure out on my own.

And whenever either of us needed to talk, we would FaceTime.

It was awesome. And was put through the test again last night, while I was sorting out what I was going to wear on my first day of school.

I had been dreading it for the past month. The lazy days of summer seemed to roll by so fast and I just didn't want them to end.

Our group had been having all sorts of fun together. We really were becoming closer and closer. Something I never imagined for myself back in Jacksonville. Speaking of, I needed to call my mom soon.

Alice and Jasper were already talking about what they were going to do once they graduated, and Em was working on a real relationship with Sarah. Edward… well he was still hot as ever. And he seemed to like to talk to me, which made me ridiculously happy.

We never really went into anything beyond the surface, but he was fun and cool to hang out with. I tried to keep everything light, because for people like me, it was easy to get sucked into the blackness that lurked around the corner. His eyes though, did wonders for it.

My whole body still went to mush whenever he would smile at me, but I was getting used to that by now, so I was able to reign in the confusing emotions he made me feel. I knew I had a lot to learn about being a teenager. I swear, every chance I got, I was bombarding Alice with all sorts of questions. But she never judged me, or asked why I didn't know any of this stuff already; she took me all in stride.

And just last weekend, Edward even hugged me. It was weird. We were all leaving, heading home, because it was well… kinda late. At least for me it was and I needed to get home before I passed out. So everybody decided to call it a night, and on Edward's way out he stopped and wrapped me in a one arm hug giving me a gentle squeeze.

I know it might sound silly to be obsessing over such a simple gesture, but hell it felt amazing, and I really felt like it meant something when he whispered, "Goodnight, sweet Bella," in my ear. My heart raced and I still trembled excitedly when thinking about it.

Alice and I spent hours the next day discussing what it may or may not have meant. When I had realized how much time we'd spent on the subject, I got embarrassed, but she assured me that it was totally normal for girls to talk about guys and the meaning of their actions.

I pulled on the jean skirt and high neck flow-y top. Alice said American Eagle was so in, so we got my whole outfit there. It was expensive, but I really liked it, and I made a mental note to thank my pops again when his credit card statement came in. I didn't go too overboard, but even the few outfits I did get were a little steep. But Dad had told me to get what I wanted, and not to worry about the price, that after all I'd been through I deserved to have some nice things, so I gratefully took him up on his offer and got some great new school clothes.

Paired with blue flip flops and a bracelet my mom had given me, I looked the part of a trendy teenager. I had always liked nice clothes, even though I'd never had much of a social life, so I was glad I could have fun with it now, and Alice and I could share that passion.

My hair was easy, just brushing and drying like I was used to before I applied a little bit of make-up, because let's face it, my dad was still a dad and he wasn't going to let me go out there looking too grown up.

When I looked in the mirror at the final product, I was happy to say that I liked it. I really didn't hate my looks, I had been told before that I was beautiful, but I didn't know; I accepted the fact that I would never look like Sarah or Alice, for that matter, but in my own way, I felt I looked decent. While Sarah and Alice were model material, I wasn't, but I was cool with that because I never really liked having a lot of attention drawn to me or my picture taken.

I smirked at my own humor in the mirror before tidying up and grabbing my things.

I hugged my dad goodbye and he wished me luck on my first day.

"Promise me, if anything comes up, you'll call me right away and I'll come get you, okay?" he asked before I opened the door.

"Absolutely, Dad," I promised.

"Alright then, have a good day, baby," he said before disappearing in his room.

I said goodbye and headed outside to wait for Alice to pick me up.

Five minutes later we were in her little red BMW convertible, headed toward school.

I had, of course, toured the school and gotten my schedule earlier, back in the summer. So I kind of knew what to expect when it came to actually navigating around, but what I wasn't prepared for was the sheer number of kids.

Alice pulled into the parking lot and I was a little stunned when I looked around and saw just how many people were here. _Holy shit!_

She parked next to a jeep and shut off the car before grabbing my hand.

"Listen, it's going to be overwhelming at first, but it'll be okay. Just concentrate on the few of us you know and you can ignore the rest, okay?" she asked, patting my hand.

"Okay, I'll try," I said, loving Alice a little bit more. She was the perfect friend.

"Alright then, let's go and make this one hell of a memorable year. After all, we're seniors, right?"

I nodded with a smile.

We both got out and slipped on our sunglasses.

We were badass. At least in my book we were.

Alice brought me around to another part of the parking lot where we were able to meet up with our group.

Emmett and Sarah, who were all over each other already. Jasper, who immediately wrapped Alice in a huge hug. And then off to the side a bit there was Edward… and two other girls.

When Em and Sarah pulled apart they both greeted me.

I offered them a smile and tried to speak, but it was hard. There were just so many people. I felt my anxiety start to build and had to remind myself to breathe nice and slow.

Edward broke away from the girls and came over next to me, closing off our little group. Weirdness rushed through me. I wanted to ask him who those two girls were and why he was talking to them. It was so strange and really had me worried. I knew that I shouldn't be but it bothered me for some reason.

I couldn't honestly figure out any of the strange things going on with me, so many unknown emotions, and I planned to ask Alice about it later. She would help me understand it.

"How are you doing this morning?" I asked Edward when I finally calmed down.

He shrugged, looking at his feet.

Yeah, that was pretty much how I felt.

"You?" he asked in return, glancing up at me with his striking green eyes.

"Eh, I've had better days, but I think I'll survive." I looked around me again. "I'm a little overwhelmed, to be honest."

He nodded and gave me a big smile. "It'll be okay, B. We've got you." He understood that I wasn't as normal as a usual transfer. Edward was okay with my anxiety and helpful when I needed to calm down. I was lucky that he didn't ask too many questions, though. Just like Alice, he accepted me at face value.

I sighed and smiled. "Thanks, that means a lot."

We were quiet for a few minutes, then Alice started jabbering about lunch and schedules. She grabbed everyone's and then smiled mischievously.

"We all have third lunch!" she said excitedly.

I wasn't so far removed that I didn't know what that meant.

"Cool so we'll all meet at lunch then in the cafeteria?" I asked, hoping that we would.

I hadn't really thought about it, I guess. I really wouldn't have had anyone to sit with if Alice hadn't taken the time to figure it out. That just saved me one hell of a panic attack.

Everyone agreed, just as the bell began to ring.

"Bella, let me know if I need to kick anyone's ass this afternoon," Emmett said, looking over his enormous shoulder at me.

"Okay, thanks," I laughed, as we all began walking through the blue doors into the school.

An older man stood there, greeting us in a way, with the occasional nod and hello.

"Mr. McCarthy, could you and Ms. Miller please tear yourselves apart for the rest of the day?" he said with a smile, even though his tone was serious.

Emmett grinned and pulled away from Sarah, just holding her hand.

"Sorry Mr. B, I get carried away when I'm in love," he bellowed back and the hallway filled with laughter.

That was pretty much the highlight of the morning.

I was able to easily follow my schedule and make it to the classrooms. Finding a seat was a bit harder. I knew that stereotypes still existed for kids who sat in the front row, but some liked it. I wanted to, but I also didn't want to be labeled on my first day at a new school, so I carefully chose the third seat back in a middle row. It was safe.

For the most part, I listened intently as the teachers introduced themselves and talked about the class.

I took notes when needed, and then quickly gathered my things before a fresh wave of panic came over me.

Being lost in a sea of kids, while walking down a hallway, was an intimidating experience. Especially for someone like me who'd never seen anything close to that before.

Finally the bell rang for lunch. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing I would soon see my friends. The class I was in filed out the door and down the hall. It was easier navigating at lunchtime because the whole school wasn't moving through the corridors.

The six of us ate lunch together, all huddled at one table. My turkey and cheese didn't sound as good as I thought it would, but I still managed through it. I knew it was important for me to eat, especially when there were only certain times I could do so at school.

I nonchalantly took my vitamins, hoping no one would notice and I drank the recommended two glasses of water. There was no way I could skip them, not now. I'd be risking too much. My hand fell to my stomach, holding it, while it protested at taking them without food.

I unwrapped my sandwich and started eating slowly, hoping it would help. It did after a few minutes.

"This shit is fucking ridiculous," Edward muttered, crumpling up his schedule.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked, setting her coke down.

"I have to take fucking English again. I passed it last year, with flying colors, so I don't see why I have to fucking take it again," he said with a sigh before pushing the cookie he was eating away from him with a look of disgust on his face.

"E, it's the school district cracking down on how many cake classes you have. How many times do I have to tell you?" a blond said from the table behind us.

My eyebrows puckered and I wondered why she felt the need to join our conversation.

"I fucking know that Rose, you don't have to remind me," he huffed reaching down for his bag.

I stayed quiet. I didn't mind school, in fact, most of my classes were ones I liked, but Edward didn't seem to feel that way. He actually seemed a little cranky about it.

The bell rang and Alice promised she would meet me at my locker after our last class.

The last couple of classes went by slowly, and then I was supposed to finish the day off with Advanced Placement English. It seemed a bit over the top, but when I took the exam over the summer, my councilor, Mrs. Weaver, assured me that was where I belonged.

It was right next to my locker thankfully, so I was there really quite early. I grabbed yet another average seat and waited for class to begin.

I yawned and stretched, hoping I could hold off any kind of exhaustion for a little while. I just wasn't used to a schedule like this; it would take some time for my body to catch up.

My notebook was out and I putting a heading on a page when I got a tap on the shoulder shaking me out of my self-absorbed moment.

"Hey, I didn't know you were in AP English," said a familiar voice.

I looked to my left and saw Edward sitting there with a huge grin.

I blushed at his words or maybe it was his presence…whatever it was…it unsettled me. Then I shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

I shook my head again, because really I liked the thought of him sitting there.

"So how'd you get in Mr. Daniel's class?" he asked, making it sound like it was some feat to be in it.

"I don't know, I guess I took the placement exam and then Mrs. Weaver told me I should be in this class."

He nodded, "That's cool, you must've done really well 'cus normally there's a waiting list for this one."

My eyebrows shot up, "Really?"

"Yeah, wasn't there ever an overflow of students at your old school?"

Instantly, I realized I was headed for choppy water, so I shook my head and faced forward. Edward of all people couldn't know about my life before. I needed a normal relationship with him; I didn't know why it was so important to me now, it just was.

Class went by fast and I was relieved to know that I wasn't in over my head or anything. I actually had read most of the required texts already.

Alice kept her promise and met me at my locker just a few minutes after the final bell rang. Edward and I had left class together, both of us veering off to our own lockers, saying we'd catch each other later.

"Hey lady, I see you survived your first day!" she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

I was used to her hugs by now, it was just who she was – she loved to love people.

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad," I told her.

"Great, come on, let's go. We're meeting everyone at my house for some much needed pool time," she said dragging me out.

We made it Alice's house quite quickly thanks to her crazy driving. She dragged me upstairs and told me to change, so I did. Hey, swimming actually sounded pretty good. It was a hot day after all and I wasn't too tired anymore.

I went through the normal routine of high-neck swim suit, slathering on lotion and then finding my cover up. Thankfully I had left it all at her house so I didn't have to run home and get anything. Well everything except for sunglasses.

I shrugged. It wouldn't kill me to go without them for once.

She smiled when she saw me.

"Oh Bella, you're the only one I would ever let get away with looking like you're going to a funeral instead of swimming."

We both cracked up laughing before heading down to the backyard.

Everyone rolled up a few minutes later, all primed to swim and have a good time.

We splashed around and played monkey in the middle for a while before most of us ended up sitting on the edge, talking about our day.

"Jeez it's bright out here," I commented, holding my hand up to my eyes, looking out over the crystal clear water.

"Where are your sunglasses, Bells?" Em asked with a splash of his foot.

"Left them at school in my locker by mistake. Oh well."

"What's wrong with you?" Em said teasingly, sliding his down his nose. "It's bright as fuck out, gotta have some shades."

I smiled at him and his goofy attitude. Emmett was a total flirt.

Edward, who was sitting next to me, touched my wrist. "Here, wear mine," he said handing me his pair.

I gaped at him for a second before closing my mouth and thanking him.

Calm breathing. In and out, in and out.

Then I carefully opened them and slid them on, so cool.

"You look good in my shades," he whispered in my ear, "…keep them." His warm breathy words sent shivers down my spine.

I blushed, and whispered my thanks, but tried to stay cool by giving him a smile. Then I turned back to the pool activities because I could feel him staring at me and I wanted to squirm.

"What?" I finally asked quietly.

He smirked. "Wanna swim with me?"

I looked down at the water, not knowing if he was serious.

"Bella?"

I glanced up at him hesitantly. "It's okay if you don't," he said softly.

I took a deep breath before answering, "I do, I just can't swim fast like you guys do."

He slowly swept the hair off my shoulder, making my breath hitch. "I'll take it easy on you, I promise," he grinned, then jumped in the water, offering me his hand.

I took it and let him pull me in. We stared each other for a few moments before Emmett interrupted, "Fucking finally, let's swim people!" And we did. We had a blast, and as promised Edward took good care of me.

It was the perfect ending to my first day of senior year.

* * *

**So what do you think now?**

**How about her first day at school?**

**And about that Sweetward? Good guy?**

**I love you guys! **

**See you Friday for the Crushing teaser in the FB group. **


	7. Hangin' With the Boys

**Thank you so much to MC for all her help here. And now... on to the guys! **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**EPOV**

"School is shit," I muttered to Emmett as I took a seat on his old, dilapidated couch. We were in the basement of his parents' house. I know it sounds lame, but hey at least it was a place to hang out.

Em fucking loved the place and even called it his 'man cave'. His parents had let him make it his space to hang with his friends, and it was awesome. We had a fridge, big-assed TV, three different gaming consoles, dart board and pool table. It was our guys place to hang and shoot the shit. Sometimes we let the girls join us, but not today.

"Fucking right, but this is it. In one hundred and seventy-nine days, we'll never have to walk through those fucking doors again," he said swigging back some Gatorade. I couldn't stand the shit, but he loved.

"Yeah, but what fucking kills me is that for the next one hundred and fucking seventy nine days, I have Mr. Daniel's class and that's bullshit."

"That really fucking blows man, but suck it up, at least you don't have to take Calculus," he groused.

"I'd fucking kill myself," I told him. I wouldn't really, because that was dumb. Math though, yeah I wasn't exactly a big fan, despite my good grades in it.

We sat there; just staring at the TV we had hooked up during the summer when we built our lair. There was a game on and Em never missed one, so once again we were spending Thursday night watching the Sox play.

"What do you think of Bella?" Em asked randomly during a commercial.

I shrugged, trying to be cool.

She was hot, yeah, and nice and there weren't too many girls around that really did it for me. That was probably why I hadn't dated a ton of girls, well in comparison to most guys my age, but Bella had promise, if I was so inclined... Her brown hair and eyes were cute and she was a refreshing sight from all the bottle blonds and over tan waifs that walked around our school, but I wasn't really in the market for a girlfriend.

It was senior year after all. Who really wanted to be tied down when your life was about to change?

I had college to think about, and a career choice. With a doctor as your father, the pressure was set pretty high. Dad was demanding sometimes, but he just wanted the best for his kids. So we couldn't really let him down. My grades were damn near perfect and fucking up anything now would ruin me.

"Well, I think she's fucking smoking," Em said with a grunt.

"Yeah, she's hot," I agreed easily, "But aren't you with Sarah now?" They'd finally gotten their shit together, and I couldn't see why he'd want to fuck it up by messing around with the new chick.

He nodded. "I meant for you man. I'm sick of the slutbags you keep littering our group with."

"What-the-fuck-ever. I don't date slutbags," I said chugging the rest of my water. Poland Spring was the only one I would even touch and it tasted good on a hot day, I couldn't put that shit Em was drinking in my body.

He let out a humorless chuckle and rolled his eyes.

"Who was slutty?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

"Let's see… Tanya, Brandy, Nina… Hell you even fucking dated Chrissy too," he said ticking them off on his fingers as he went.

I wanted to punch him in the face.

They weren't all sluts. At least not when I was dating them. That was thing, it seemed like after I got done with them, they were ready to lay down for anyone that came along.

"Fuck you," I said punching him in the arm.

"Maybe you should stop fucking chicks that make me want to bleach my dick just from standing next to them."

I turned my attention back to the game with a huff.

"Shut the fuck up and watch the game, the Sox are ahead."

In my head I was pissed. Sure, my track record looked a bit bad, but I wasn't really _that_ bad. Yeah, I had some girlfriends in high school. But I wasn't with a different girl every other month and I certainly didn't sleep with all of them. I was not a HS manwhore.

Of course girls talked as much as guys did and some lied and said we did, but whatever.

I didn't really fucking care, I knew the truth and that was enough, right?

I focused my thoughts back on the game; Beckett was doing a hell of job of striking out most of those dirty Yanks.

"I think he's gonna pitch a no hitter," Em said getting excited.

"Not gonna happen," I said shaking my head.

I wanted them to, but hey, it was a long shot, especially against those fucking stripes.

It was time for a commercial again, and I headed over to the mini fridge along the wall and grabbed another water.

"You gave her your Bans," he said when I sat down.

"What?" I asked, confused. There was a fucking furniture commercial on that was trying to take out my ear drums.

"Bella, you gave her your Ray Bans," he said with a smirk. "I saw you, and then Sarah heard you told her to keep them."

I shrugged, because while at first I didn't technically _give_ them to her, I let her use them, for some reason, afterwards, I just didn't want them back. I wanted her to keep them, to have something of mine.

"You fucking love those things."

I shrugged again. Yeah, I did love them. They were expensive and I worked hard for my money, but I smiled thinking of how good Bella looked wearing them.

Em just shook his head at me with a giant-assed grin on his meathead face.

"Fuck you, she needed some sunglasses."

"Yeah and you jumped at the chance to give her yours." He pointed a finger at my chest. "And then told her to fucking keep them…pussy!" He laughed.

I scowled at him and punched his arm again. "Fuck you, so what?" He just laughed again and shoved my head.

We watched the rest of the game and I left pretty happy when the Sox scored a win against the Yanks. Thank fucking God. Even if Beckett didn't pitch a no hitter, it was still awesome!

I got in my Trailblazer and headed home for the night.

We had school in the morning and I promised Em I would pick him up. Fucking prick's car was in the shop again.

On the way home I let my mind wander to Bella. Her shy, beautiful, brown eyes and how they watched everything going on around her, like she was seeing it for the first time. How nice she was, sweet and fun to hang with, and then how right it felt when she clasped my hand so tightly when I helped her in the pool. I also thought about how fucking sexy her body looked in her sleek bathing suit, even though it wasn't skimpy. I blew out a breath realizing I really liked Bella Swan, and decided to try to hang out with her some more–just her and I. "Who knows what'll happen?" I said smiling to myself.

* * *

**So what'd you think of Em and Edward's little hang out time?**


	8. A Little Alone Time

**Thank you MCfor being the very best beta that someone could ask for. **

**On with the next one here... **

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**BPOV**

"Does anybody want some chips?" Alice asked getting up from the couch. She was always a wonderful hostess.

"Yeah," Edward and I answered at the same time. We laughed and I shouted for her to grab some drinks too, because I was really getting thirsty.

We were hanging out in the living room at Alice's because it was 'wicked' humid outside, as Edward put it.

He was right. Not only was the sun oppressive, but the thick air hung low and made it feel heavy on your skin. This was normal for Jacksonville as well, but I was still getting used to going outside in it here in Boston. Every time I was out, I would feel this overwhelming need to take a deep breath and really let it fill my lungs. Thoroughly enjoying it. I spent so much time sequestered inside, when I lived with my mom, that now I wanted to experience every little nuance of life to the fullest.

While part of me wanted to sit on Alice's deck and just live it, she was right, it was hard to breathe - which definitely wasn't a good thing for me. So her, Edward and I had headed inside to watch a movie. A movie was a good idea, in my opinion; fun but relaxing.

It was evening anyway and we had spent the better part of the day outside, so it was easy to agree. I slipped Edward's glasses off my nose and tucked them into the collar of my shirt. I still was enjoying them immensely, reveling in the fact that Edward had given me something personal of his. I hoped it meant something, but I wasn't getting my inexperienced hopes up. I felt a warm rush flow through me every time I put them on. And even more so when I got to wear them when he was around.

Alice sat on the floor, painting her toes, while Edward and I sat close on the couch. I couldn't explain why, but I really liked being near him. It was comforting in a weird and unfamiliar way. And he smelled _so_ damn good. It was like I couldn't get enough of his scent. And it wasn't anything in particular, like cologne, or something overpowering like that, no it was just him.

I guzzled some more water. It was my third in an hour. Which meant I was running to the bathroom a lot, but at least I wasn't going to wind up with dehydration; this was vital if I wanted to feel well. Not to mention my dad would kick my ass if I did let something like that happen. He would be more than disappointed, since he trusted that I could take care of myself.

We all sat back, looking utterly exhausted, watching _Anchorman_. I fucking loved Will Ferrell.

I knew almost every line to it, since I'd seen it so many times.

We all laughed our asses off through it. Edward laughing harder at me, as he watched the tears of laughter run down my face. He smiled at me and shook his head as I wiped them away.

As the movie came to an end, Alice jumped up then turned to look at us. "I need a shower after walking around in that armpit all afternoon," she said after removing the movie from the DVD player.

Her blue eyes flicked down to mine and she walked over to me, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"Do you think you'll be okay, alone?"

I nodded, looking her right in the eyes. I was going to be fine. There was nothing to worry about. Edward was harmless and had been nothing but sweet to me, and besides that I wanted to stay with him. Again, I couldn't really put my finger on why, but I liked being around him, near him. He always found a way to make me laugh or even just smile. And he never pointed it out or made a big spectacle of my general awkwardness.

We sat there quietly as she tidied up and then walked up the stairs.

That left Edward and I alone.

I flicked the TV off and sat a bit further from him, suddenly nervous about being there alone with him. My breath hitched at the thought. I had no idea what to do now.

"So how're you liking school?" he asked after a few moments, angling his body towards me.

It was a normal question, but I had to calm myself to answer him. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I didn't like it. I was completely fine with him when other people were around. But now…

"It's good, a little overwhelming with all the people, but I'm coping," I told him honestly.

His green eyes searched mine for a second and then flicked away. He sighed and reached out to lightly touch my hand that was gripping a pillow between us. I looked at his fingers…and I think I stopped breathing for a moment.

"Are you purposely avoiding me?" he asked softly, while lightly dragging his fingers over the back of my hand.

My eyebrows knitted together and I shook my head, as I took in his uncertain expression. I was so overwhelmed with his touch, and my loss of breath, I couldn't respond.

Edward _had_ tried to make plans with me the past few afternoons, but our schedules just didn't match up, I'd told him. I felt bad, because I really did want to spend time with him, but there was nothing I could do about my health. I'd had to go home and rest before doing my homework, but I couldn't tell him that; it was just something I couldn't share…with anyone.

"It just seems that way. You're always busy with Alice…or you've got something else going on, and I just was wondering if I made that bad of an impression on you."

"Oh Edward, no, not at all," I fidgeted nervously with the pillow feeling really bad, "I'm…ugh…just really busy. Life hasn't settled down much since school started. You know homework and stuff…"

"Oh, okay." He nodded.

We were quiet again for a few minutes, and I was just about to burst, when he started telling me about the Red Sox and how good they were doing this year. He mentioned something about a curse and rambled about how they weren't going to get trapped in that again.

I listened intently, because I found myself very interested in what he had to say, not necessarily about baseball, but his insightful thoughts. Well, really, I just liked listening to him talk…his voice warmed me in a way I'd never experienced before. And it was also the way his soft eyes lit up with excitement when he was telling me about the players' stats, or the way he smirked when he was telling me how the Sox were going to kick some major Yankee ass this year.

I couldn't keep the small smile off my face when he promised me that we were all going to the green monster soon. He said I would love it, and when I seemed a bit hesitant, he said not to worry, he'd take good care of me.

A while later, a damp looking Alice came bouncing down the stairs with a big smile on her face as her eyes shifted between Edward and I. I was a little disappointed to see her, but when her eyes began a silent conversation with mine, I finally noticed it too. In the forty minutes she was gone showering, we had somehow moved closer to one another. It was weird, magnetic in a way, I guess, and I sighed feeling truly giddy.

"It's your turn," Alice said smiling down at me.

"Okay," I said and reluctantly moved to get up, but as I did, Edward's hand shot out and grabbed mine.

"Hey, do you wanna hang out one night this week?" he asked with sincerity brimming in his eyes.

My heart began to beat fast, and instantly I felt a bit lightheaded and my palms began to sweat. I coaxed myself to breathe, then looked at our connected hands and realized I _wanted_ to spend time alone with him, so much.

"Sure, I would like that," I said shyly, as Alice began to drag me out of the room.

"Great, I'll talk to you about it later," Edward said smiling wide, almost sounding relieved.

"You can show yourself out, right Edward?" Alice asked with a big smirk.

He smiled and nodded before I was pushed up the stairs out of sight of him.

* * *

**Alright who loves sweetward?! **


	9. Homework & a Movie

**Hey there! I'm back for the normal weekly update again! YAY!**

**Thank you to MC for helping make Sweetward extra sweet! Love you babe!**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 8**

**BPOV**

"So do you need any help with Mr. Daniel's homework? I know he assigned a shit ton," Edward asked, sliding his backpack off of his shoulder as we entered his room.

My skin seemed to prickle every time he would talk to me, even if it was about boring school stuff. He had this deep, smooth voice that I could listen to for hours. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was just so entrancing.

I finally had some free time to spend with him. And as promised, we were hanging out. It was at his house and in his room. Neither of which I was opposed to, but there was a nervous clatter on the radar. It was, after all, the first time that it was just the two of us. Alone. I was excited but admittedly nervous… This was another first for me.

I shrugged. I didn't really need his help, I understood the subject just fine and I actually enjoyed the challenge of a great deal of work. But homework actually sounded like a good ice breaker, since I was all out of things to talk to him about.

"Alright, let me just go get us a snack and then we can start?" he said sounding like it was a question, so I answered with a soft, "Sure, that'd be great."

He headed back downstairs and I took that as the green light to look around Edward's room alone.

I slipped off my backpack and leaned it up against his before letting my eyes roam around the semi-neat bedroom. Certainly not what I'd expected for a boy's bedroom.

It was so out of place from the rest of the house.

Mrs. Cullen seemed to be into the country vibe, which consisted of all sorts of little knick-knacks and a rustic looking house, while Edward's room was far and beyond removed from that look.

There were a couple of Red Sox posters on the wall that butted up against his bed. And then above his pillow, on the wall, there was a hat hanger with like a bazillion ball caps on it. The room had plush tan carpeting and soft off-white walls with a soothing green trim. It would've probably fit the home, if it weren't for all of Edward's stuff.

I turned to see his dresser that was cluttered with old tickets from movies and games. Some arcade tokens and a change bowl with more silver in it than pennies.

My eyes zoned in on the picture sitting there. It was of a much younger Edward, probably ten or eleven, all suited up, posing for little league photos. He was adorable even then. I smiled as I examined the picture more closely and the proud smile on his face as he held up a small trophy.

It was abundantly clear that Edward liked baseball. I was going to make it my mission to understand the damn game if it killed me.

"Hey, find anything interesting?"

I jumped and my hand flew to my chest, as my heart pounded, and I turned to find him smiling at me with a huge bowl of popcorn and two waters in his hands.

I shook my head real fast, watching as the smile fell from his face.

"You didn't look in the nightstand, did you?" he questioned warily, making me wonder what the hell was in his nightstand.

I cleared my throat with a cough. "No, I wasn't snooping. I was just admiring your picture here," I told him, pointing to it. "You look so happy."

He smiled and walked over. "Oh yeah? Is this what kind of guys you go for?" he joked. "I hate to break it to you, but I don't have any younger brothers, Cougarella."

I snorted out a laugh. "That wasn't what I meant and you know it."

"Uh huh, sure it wasn't," he teased lightly.

"I was just wondering if you still look good all suited up?"

He shrugged, and said wistfully, "I wouldn't know. EBHS hasn't had money for baseball in three years. And I'm too old for the city league now."

"Awe, that's too bad."

"Yeah, oh well. There's always college, right?"

The thought of college hadn't crossed my mind in a long time. I really never expected someone like me would ever make it that far. But there was always a possibility… For now, though, it was just one day at a time.

"Sure," I offered him kindly, hopefully for Edward there was always college if that was what he wanted. He must have noted something in my short response because he regarded me curiously, but, thankfully, didn't press the issue.

"Come on, let's get Mr. Daniel's homework done so we can watch a movie together," he suggested, tugging me towards the bed.

It made sense to sit there. It really did, since there was only one chair at his tiny desk in the corner, but it was still a bed and last time I checked, Edward was still a boy. So of course this whole scenario made me nervous. I took some deep breaths, and followed him slowly.

He plopped down and I sat on the other side, a decent amount of distance away from him. I was looking out for him, I told myself; I didn't know what his parent's rules were for girls. I didn't want him to get in trouble because he was helping me with my homework and wanted to spend some alone time together.

Edward though, scooted closer, laying out both his notebook and textbook in front of us.

I did the same and pulled out a pen.

Then he moved the popcorn bowl in between us.

We worked for an hour at it, taking turns eating a few kernels and then scribbling out answers. I finished and then waited a few minutes for Edward to be done.

"D'ya want me to check yours over?" he asked as he closed his book with a thud.

I shrugged, I was pretty confident, but he could if he wanted too. "Sure, but I think it's okay."

Edward smiled and grabbed my notebook, holding it in one hand and his own in the other as he looked over our answers.

He was silent for a few moments.

"Wow, I can see why you're in Mr. Daniel's class," he said blowing out a breath and handing my homework back to me.

I beamed at him and replied, "Thanks, I like English, actually." It wasn't as if I didn't know I was intelligent, but it was nice to hear coming from Edward.

He smiled back. "Okay, so you wanna watch a movie now?"

I just nodded, because suddenly my throat felt tight. But it didn't feel like the normal panic attacks. This was different, new…and a bit scary.

He went over to his stand in the corner, squatting down, and I couldn't help but take in the view. His back muscles flexing under his red t-shirt and his bum…in those delicious looking khaki pants… It was getting a bit warm in the room, I noticed.

Feelings like this hadn't ever taken over me before, and I wasn't sure how to process them. I'd never really found guys butts to be all that attractive, but there was something about Edward's that made it so I couldn't stop staring.

He made me jump a little when he looked over his shoulder holding up a movie.

"How about _Iron Man_? I fucking love this movie," he asked smiling.

"Sure, that sounds great," I murmured, avoiding his eyes, folding my knees up in front of me, under my chin. I didn't want to tell him that I hadn't seen it and it wasn't even that I didn't like comics. But I couldn't say anything about that part of my life…yet.

Maybe one day with Edward, but not right now. I just wanted him to like me for me…with no pity or special treatment involved in those feelings. If something did develop further between us, I knew I would have to tell him everything.

He popped it in and then came over, back to the bed. He sat where he had before, but a little closer to me this time, moving the popcorn further down on the bed.

The movie played and I enjoyed it. It had a good storyline and was genuinely entertaining. I'd never seen a movie like it before…the action was exciting.

It was really getting interesting and my mind was so completely focused on the TV that I had forgotten Edward was sitting next to me. Well, that was until his warm hand crept over mine. They had been lying there, flat, next to each other.

But now, Edward's hand was directly over mine and his fingers were wrapping themselves between mine. I turned my head, feeling his eyes on me, and he smiled, as he rubbed his thumb over my hand.

My heart began to race, but I instantly tried to calm myself. He'd be able to feel my palms sweat if I let myself get too worked up over it. I smiled back and then turned back to the movie.

We stayed like that through the rest of the movie and all of the credits, but just as the DVD began to shut itself off a woman's voice rattled through the house.

"Edward, I'm home!"

He smiled, so it mustn't have been a bad thing. He kept a tight hold on my hand and it was a strange but wonderful feeling; the warmth of his hand seemed to radiate all through my body.

"Come on, you wanna meet my mom?" he asked, tugging me off the bed before I could even decide.

It wasn't that I was overly opposed to meeting his mother; it was just that I always felt like adults could look into my eyes and just _know_. There was a sense of a certain embarrassment there; I didn't think my self-consciousness would ever go away.

I checked my shirt, making sure I was covering everything before heading out the door, my hand still firmly in his as he led me down the stairs.

"Hey Mom, where are ya?" Edward hollered when reached the bottom step.

"In the kitchen, honey," she shouted back.

He glanced down at me with a big smile, before giving my hand a squeeze and leading me towards the kitchen.

We walked through the doorway and my nerves began to race again, but Edward tried to calm me with another hand squeeze, while repeatedly brushing this thumb over my wrist.

"How was your day?" a petite woman, with honey brown hair asked with her back turned to us.

"It was good, Bella came over to work on her homework with me," Edward told her. "And we just finished watching a movie."

And the tiny woman turned around, with a warm smile painted on her lips.

"Bella?" she questioned, looking surprised.

Edward nodded and they shared a meaningful look, like maybe they'd talked about me before.

"Oh Bella, it's so nice to meet you, finally! I'm Edward's mom," she said rushing over to pull me into a hug.

I awkwardly hugged her back, still not used to sharing unfamiliar touches with strangers.

I coughed, clearing my throat, I said quietly, "It's very nice to meet you too, Mrs. Cullen."

Her eyes softened and she stared at me for a moment, like she was trying to read me or something. _This_ was exactly why I hated meeting adults, but her expression was so endearing that I did relax a bit.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, dear? We have plenty," she asked sweetly, indicating the pot on the stove that must have been prepared earlier.

And while the smell of home cooked spaghetti was enticing, I knew I had to get home to my dad.

I promised her I would be back soon and gave her another awkward hug, before scooting up the stairs to collect my backpack and right back down, and out of the house.

"Do you want a ride home?" Edward asked as he followed me out. The sound of the screen door slamming behind him made me jump a little.

I looked out to the street. Boston was still new to me. The streets weren't scary as in frightening; it was just that I didn't know them well, and I was getting somewhat tired.

"Um, yes, if you wouldn't mind, "I replied and he smiled, making my heart race yet again.

There was just something about that boy's smile that was like none I'd ever seen before.

"So what's your dad do?" I asked, trying to make conversation as we pulled out of the driveway.

"He's a doctor," Edward said, almost looking annoyed.

I cringed.

"But you probably won't meet him any time soon. He's really busy," Edward said, just as I was about to mentally swear off going to the Cullen's ever again.

I smiled in relief, and heard Edward sigh, then he reached over and gently took my hand in his, once again linking our fingers.

We held hands until we pulled up outside of my building and I thanked Edward for the ride before promising to see him at school the next day.

In the apartment, I went through the normal routine before hollering to my dad to tell him I had made it home.

"How was your day?" he wondered, once he had ventured out to living room.

I was actually feeling really great today, considering it had been a long day for me.

I told him all about Edward and the movie. I would never keep secrets from my dad, honesty was imperative for us, and I wanted to share this new experience with him. I felt great!

Plus, Dad was cool with guys, he knew I had a good head on my shoulders and wouldn't do anything stupid. We both knew what my limitations were, and he trusted me to respect those.

"That's great baby, I'm glad you made a new friend," he told me honestly.

"Yeah it is, he's pretty cool, Dad, we get along great."

Dad flipped on the TV and we watched our shows for a few minutes before I got too tired. I grabbed my dinner out of the microwave and scarfed down some of it before saying goodnight. "Goodnight baby, don't forget you have an appointment Friday."

I grumbled something that resembled acknowledgement before heading into my room for the night. I was now completely beat since I hadn't had my afterschool nap today.

But it had been totally worth it, I smiled to myself, as I remembered my first, perfect date alone with Edward Cullen.

* * *

**Any new theories?  
****How about their little date?**

**Or Sweetward?**

**Mhmmmm I love him so much! **


	10. First Kisses

**Thanks MC! I owe you the world!**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 9**

**EPOV**

I was racing around, the fucking alarm never went off and I was late.

I hated being late, because that meant that I missed our morning group hang out.

And our morning hang out was pretty boring, except for the fact that it was the first time I would get to see Bella for the day. I wouldn't see her again until lunch and then Mr. Daniel's class. At the risk of sounding like a pussy, I was willing to admit that I really liked seeing her. Her warm, shy smile made my morning and I didn't want to miss it today, after feeling like I finally made a connection with her yesterday.

It was hard being a teenager by today's standards because when you finally wanted to do the right thing by someone, you got called out on it.

I admitted it to myself though, I liked Bella Swan. And I sure as hell liked holding her soft hand.

She was so different from other chicks around here.

She was shy where other girls let it all hang out. And she was so sweet and cool.

Spending yesterday afternoon with her, and introducing her to my mom, was everything I had hoped it would be. Yes, we did homework, but we also spent some quiet, quality time together and I liked being with her. She was so easy to be around; I didn't think I'd ever been so relaxed with a girl before. Sometimes, though, it felt like she was holding back from me, and I wasn't sure why, but I hoped she would eventually open up to me when we got to know each other better. Until then, I was just going to enjoy spending more time with…hopefully.

I was still debating about asking her to be my girlfriend, though. I hadn't been too sure I even wanted a steady girl my senior year of high school, but I liked her and knew I had to go with my heart. She didn't seem like the 'hook up' kind of girl and I didn't really want that with her. It was just that it was senior year and I wasn't totally sold on being tied down. I mean before I knew it I'd be in college and who knew where my life would be headed then, and I had no idea what Bella wanted for her future either.

But again, Bella was so different, that I was beginning to wonder if she might be worth the hassle. Even my mom had commented one night that I seemed 'happily distracted' and asked what was up. I had a great relationship with my mom, open and honest; I could talk to her about anything. And she knew me well, so I told her about Bella, and she said she could tell by the smile on my face when I talked about her that she was special and I should follow my heart.

And every time I'd been around Bella lately, I felt light. Which was so far from what I usually felt with the drama obsessed chics I had been with before.

Not like weightless, obviously, but so fucking happy I didn't know what to do with myself.

It just made me want to spend more time with her.

So I did.

We hung out again doing some of Mr. Daniel's never ending homework. I noticed quickly enough that she was very smart. She had no problem with his class, again such a refreshing sight. The second time had been fairly innocent by the average teenagers assessment. When we finished our homework, because Bella was very big on actually doing hers, we popped in a movie like we had the first time, I wrapped my arm around her and she snuggled into my side.

I remembered clearly how her fingers slid carefully over my chest and knotted themselves into my t-shirt. I also remembered how soft her hair was as I ran it through my fingers, and how I stared down at her full lips and it made my heart dance around in my chest. Something that hadn't happened since I was like thirteen. We stayed like that until it was over and then it was time for her to go home again.

She couldn't stay for dinner because she wanted to be home for her dad. She told me that he'd been alone enough over the years and it was her turn to make it up to him.

I actually really appreciated that about Bella, she was true and real. She loved her parents even though they had called it quits.

The third time she came over though, was a whole different story. Sure, it started out the same because that's what we fucking did. Homework.

"So, what'd you think of Mr. Daniel assigning _Pride and Prejudice_?" I asked after getting out my books and notebook.

Bella was sitting on the other side of the bed doing the same thing.

She shrugged lightly and replied, "It doesn't really bother me, seeing how I've already read it a few times."

My eyebrows went up in shock. See, she _was_ different.

"Cool, so you can help me out then?" I said with a laugh. I was only half joking. While I loved reading, I wasn't completely sure I had the time to devote to _Pride and Prejudice_.

"Sure thing," she said with a fucking beautiful grin.

We tore through our homework in record time thanks to her help and my suggestions.

After that, I let her pick the movie. She chose a sappy one that my mother loved and I had been forced to sit through about a thousand fucking times. But, somehow knowing that I was going to be sitting next to Bella, made it so much easier to deal with.

In went _The Notebook_. She came back to the bed, snuggling into my side again, so I threw my arm around her. It was sweet and I just really like being close to her. Even though, I definitely had a complaint about her shirts. They were always so damn conservative that they didn't even offer me a peek at the goodies. I mean I was a teenage guy…a nice set of tits were something we looked at.

I guess it was for the best, because I was sure, once I had a taste of Bella, I wouldn't want to give her up.

Her lips pouted as the main characters kissed and embraced.

And when the tell-tale sex scene played out, I listened as her breathing became shallow.

She was so fucking arousing and my hard on was just dying to make an appearance.

So I did what any gentleman could do in the situation.

I gently tilted her chin up to me and I brushed my lips against hers.

_Holy Shit!_

Never had such a tiny kiss made me so hard.

Her eyes went wide and she let out a little gasp, but then a huge smile spread over those sweet lips.

I fucking loved those lips now.

And she didn't seem to mind me kissing them as she didn't pull away. We were so close I could feel her sweet breath mingling with mine.

"Was that okay?" I whispered hesitantly against her lips after a moment, despite her smile I still felt the need to check.

She nodded with a blush filling her cheeks. "Yes," she breathed as she gently cupped the back of my neck and brushed her fingers through my hair.

I was fucking dying to do it again after that.

So, taking a chance, I kissed her softly again. I was guessing, more likely than not, that Bella didn't have much experience in the boyfriend department. Not that we had talked about it or even based on her pretty looks that it made sense at all. But I could just tell from her shock, and the slight tremor I felt from her, that she was new to it.

So I went slow, kissing her lips, then her cheek, lightly brushing my lips over the side of her face from her chin to her ear. "You are so pretty, Bella," I breathed against her hair. She smiled and shivered, then settled back into me to watch the rest of the movie.

I snuck in three more kisses that night. All of them were just as good as the first. Bella became more responsive each time and I resolved to make it a habit of kissing her more. And no, there was no tongue, but hey we had time for that, right?

***TT***

"Jas, I think this is gonna be fucking awesome."

"Yeah, I just hope that Em can pass and get us a keg."

"He will, that ID is flawless," I assured him.

Jasper's parents were out of town for some work thing so he was throwing a party and I was so fucking happy. It was Friday, and even though the party wasn't until tomorrow, it was about fucking time for a beginning of senior high party.

I'd been mulling over inviting Bella as my date for a few days now, because I got the feeling that really wasn't her scene, but I finally decided to do it.

We'd been close. Holding hands in private and seeing each other after school for the month it had been in session, so I figured this would be a good ice breaker to being a couple in public.

I texted her on my way to my next class, hoping for a quick reply, but she didn't answer. I saw her at lunch, so I assumed she just didn't have her phone turned on at school, it was a rule after all.

I'd see her next period anyway.

"Yeah, but it won't be a huge party, though, just us and some about twenty others I invited."

"I can't fucking wait, sounds great man," I told Jasper, leaving him in the hall so I could get to Mr. Daniel's class early.

Bella was usually there, waiting, but when I got arrived, her seat was empty.

Just before the bell rang, she came walking in with her backpack fully weighted down.

"Hey," I whispered and touched her arm.

She turned and smiled at me. "Hi."

But just as I was about to ask her what was up and if she got my text, Mr. Daniel walked in.

She sat for a second before collecting her things and walking towards his desk, handing him a slip.

He looked down at it for a moment before nodding. "We'll see you on Monday then, Ms. Swan."

"Yes sir, have a nice weekend," she whispered before turning and walking out the door without even a glance back at me.

She hadn't mentioned anything to me at lunch about needing to leave early or feeling sick. So, of course, I spent the whole class wondering where the hell she was off to.

As soon as class was over I furiously texted her to find out where she was, but she never replied.

And what was worse was the way my heart fucking ached being left in the dark like that.

I never heard from her all night and I went to bed confused, hurt and admittedly pissed off.

* * *

**What do you think? **

**Sweetward is adorable, right? **

**And then he got all huffy when she left school... wonder where she's off to?**


	11. Introductions

**Thank you MC! You're amazing darling!**

* * *

**Chapter 10 Tick Tock**

**EPOV**

I still had no idea where Bella could've gone yesterday after school and honestly, along with worrying all night, I was still a little pissed because I had been going to ask her over again. I mean, it was a Friday night, and I was sort of hoping she wouldn't have had to rush home like she normally did. I was thinking she could've stayed for dinner for once and then watched another movie with me…and snuggled and kissed.

Anger welled up inside of me when I woke up from my few hours of restless sleep.

_Didn't she know that I was worried about her?_

I pulled out my phone, staring at my new background. A picture that Alice had sent me from their sleep over. Apparently, they had changed into their PJs and then popped in another movie after I'd left. Bella was in a night shirt, that for once clung to her soft tits and the glow from her cheeks and her wet looking hair told me that she'd just gotten out of the shower.

Fuck…

I couldn't help it, but every time I looked at that picture I got all worked up.

She was so fucking gorgeous.

And those lips, now that I'd tasted them, I just wanted more.

I wanted her to go to Jasper's party with me tonight too. His parents were out of town and he was throwing a back to school rager, something I looked forward to. My parents were stiffs and never let anything like that happen under their precious roof.

At least after staring at her picture for a short while I wasn't as angry anymore, but the worry just wouldn't go away. I wished she would just call me and let me know she was okay.

I decided, since it was mid-afternoon, it was time to do something besides sit in my room today. I'd even done some homework…on a Saturday, trying to pass the time, hoping to hear back from Bella. Mom was already in the kitchen cooking dinner when I entered and went to the fridge.

I sighed, while trying to figure out what I wanted to eat; I just didn't feel right texting Bella again, but I was really starting to worry and I was so confused. I didn't know if she was keeping whatever she was up to a secret or if it was a spur of the moment thing.

It just didn't add up. Up until now, it seemed like we had a fairly good friendship. Trustworthy and happy. We shared all sorts of things, so I couldn't see why now she was starting to keep things from me.

"Oh, good you're finally up and around," Mom said with a smile. I was breaking into a cookie because I needed one at the moment. "No Bella today?"

I shook my head and tried to wipe the disappointed look off my face. I was pathetic, but I had it bad.

"That's okay, sweetie. It's better that way," she murmured, dumping some spices into a pot. "Even though I like Bella, and I want to see you happy, I don't think you should get too serious."

She always felt like that. Neither she nor Dad ever encouraged me to find a nice girl and have a serious relationship because they were always afraid that my grades would suffer. I swore the only reason they even put up with the idea of Bella is because I'd already been accepted to NYU. Although, I knew these issues were more my dad's then my mom's.

If I hadn't been secured an early admittance spot at NYU, I was sure my dear old dad would be preaching to me about giving her the boot. Not that he's home that much anyway.

"Mom," I grouched back her. I wasn't about to let her walk all over my feelings for Bella. Certainly not today of all days. She was the one who told me to follow my heart, and now that I'd done that, I wasn't about to turn tail and run the other way. I liked Bella, and I was worried about her… Where the hell was she?

"You're young, that's all I'm saying," she said with a grin. I was now wondering if Dad hadn't said something to her about Bella last night… Mom seemed to be on a bit of a different wavelength then she had been when I originally talked to her about liking Bella.

"Yeah, yeah…I'm young, blah, blah, blah." Mom laughed at me.

I grabbed a glass of milk and was just about to head upstairs before she called behind me.

"Can you take your father down some dinner; he's at the hospital, he's working late again. Oh, and then you can pick up Rose from her piano lesson on your way home. That will save me a trip out, thanks honey."

I nodded feeling my annoyance rise from the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to, but it was technically one of the many rules that came with having a car – there was always a catch with Dad.

So instead of fighting with her and losing my keys for the weekend, I sighed and agreed.

I waited, semi-impatiently, as she dished up a container of chicken pot pie and a small serving of apple pie on the side. She packed them all up in a lunch box and sent me on my way.

I hurried down the streets towards the hospital, because on the way out the door Emmett texted me and said he could hang out before Jasper's party. He and Sarah were on the outs for the evening, so a night of serious partying was in our future.

I quickly remembered that Dr. Denali worked near Dad's office now and I wondered if seeing her would brighten my day. She was always a fun little flirt and nice to look at.

I grabbed the lunch box off my seat and raced to Dad's office not wanting to waste too much time there. I had plans for Tanya, as I liked to call her. A quick sexy chat with her and I would feel so much better about myself, and then I would be off to get ready and go to Em's before the party.

"Here you go, straight from Mom to you, enjoy," I said, putting the lunch box down on his desk.

"Thanks son, I'll see you later," he said, before basically dismissing me.

I didn't hold it against him, he was a busy guy and besides I had other plans.

I hurried down the hallway, looking for the right office, just as I saw a head of beautiful, brunette hair and an older guy with a mustache walk out of a room.

I knew that hair, and when she turned away from me, that fine ass as well.

It was Bella and someone that I hoped was her father. God, it was weird how the ache in my chest began to subside once I knew she was okay.

"Bella! Hey, wait up!" I shouted as I began sprinting down the hallway to catch up with them.

I watched as she stopped quickly and stood stock still next to her old man before slowly turning around to face me just as I reached them.

_Fuck it was good to see her… _

I offered her a huge smile, hoping that she would flash me one of hers. Something to last me until tonight, when I would hopefully be going to Em's party with her, now that I'd have the chance to ask her face to face. I just needed a few minutes alone with her, or maybe I could finally get her to look at her phone.

But as I stood there for a few moments I noticed that she wasn't smiling, not at all actually, she was acting more like I was some kind of a pain in the ass.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped at me.

I took a step back. It was the first time I'd seen any side of Bella that wasn't delicate and sweet.

_What the hell was going on here?_

"I was just dropping off some supper to my dad. What're you doing here on a Saturday?"

After looking her over I noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. That sent my mind wondering.

"That's none of your business," she said quickly with a fiery glare in her eyes.

"Bella," her father warned.

"Hello sir, my name's Edward Cullen, I'm a school friend of Bella's," I said, extending my hand out to the man in front of me.

I figured he was the reason they were here, and if something was wrong I wanted to know her father and then comfort Bella; she looked really tired, like she hadn't slept all night. Oh man, I felt terrible, her dad was probably sick.

But the man didn't say anything. He froze, looking mortified as I stood there in front of him.

"Sir?" I questioned after a few moments.

"Drop your hand, Edward," Bella ordered, making me feel all out of sorts.

She had never had a harsh tone to her voice before, she was always shy and timid and now she was telling me what to do? Come on, what the hell? I was just trying to be nice and meet her family.

"Drop you goddamn hand, Edward," she snarled again.

"Why?" I spat, suddenly feeling enraged.

"Because he's a fucking germaphobe!" she cried out, making her words echo off of the walls throughout the hospital.

Her father and I both gasped at the same time, and when I looked at Bella I felt like I was looking at a stranger.

_What in the hell__ was going on with her__?_

* * *

**Oh no, Edward's all kinds of worried now. **_  
_

**I wonder why Bella acted like that?**

**What do you think he'll do now?**

**Another Traveler coming at you in a minute!**


	12. Party

**Thank you MC! **

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 11**

EPOV

I was left standing there in shock. Bella had never talked to me like that before, and I wasn't really sure what just came over her. I was so surprised by her behavior I had no idea what to think; it was so out of character from what I knew of her so far. I guess the worst part was when she began dragging her father out the door before I could even say anything else. In that situation though, I didn't know what to say. She'd just dropped a bomb on me that her father was a germaphobe.

_How do you respond to that?_

I had no idea how long it was that I stood there until Tanya knocked into me and interrupted my musings.

"Hey Eddie, what's happening, stud?" she asked with a smile.

I knew that she didn't mean what she said, that it was just a joke, as she was in her late twenties and looked more like a model than a doctor, but she was fun to talk with.

"Not much. I was just dropping lunch off to my dad," I murmured, still stuck in my own head, as I stared at the now empty hospital exit. Bella was gone and I was still trying to process what had just happened.

"Well, that was very nice of you," she said as she finished up a chart. I watched her hand as it moved furiously over the paper writing in notes.

She handed it to Jane, the nurse at the desk. "Alright, Swan has been discharged and I'm heading home."

My eyebrows shot up, what was wrong with Bella's dad?

Jane accepted the file and told her to have a nice night.

But I wasn't about to let her just leave. I needed to find out what was going on with her father and I wondered if Tanya might let a few details slip.

"Hey E, you hanging around this place on a Saturday night? Come on, someone as handsome as you must have a hot date lined up?" she asked, as she grabbed her bag.

"Eh, I've got a party to go to, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna go."

"Oh yeah? Some pretty girl break your heart?" she wondered, as we walked through the parking lot.

"Sort of," I whispered, still feeling stunned. "Hey, real quick. That last guy you saw, is he going to be okay?"

Tanya looked up at me for a moment, seemingly confused. "The guy?" she wondered.

"Yeah, the older guy, he looked kind of sick."

"Oh him!" Tanya looked thoughtful for a minute. "Yeah, he'll be fine," she murmured.

"Well, this is me," she said quickly, as we reached her car. "Try to have fun tonight!"

"You too T, tell Rob I said hi."

"I will! I'm sure he'll be calling you wanting to go to a game soon," she said before getting in and pulling away.

I still felt stunned, so much so that I didn't even want to text Bella. She seemed so out of sorts that I knew she must've been shaken up from having to take her dad to the hospital. I just hoped he'd be okay like Dr. Denali said.

I sighed and decided that going to the party would be better than sitting at home all night wondering what the fuck had happened with Bella. So I headed home to shower and change.

But first I had to pick up Rosie…sisters were such a pain in the ass. I left the hospital and drove to Mrs. Cameron's house, and thank God Rose was already outside; I was in a hurry.

She ran to my car when I pulled up and hopped in. "Hey, jerk, how's it hangin'?"

I raised my eyebrows, and replied, "As if I'm gonna fucking tell you that."

Rose scoffed, "Aww, what's wrong, Bella finally realize what a dork you are?" She laughed.

"Shut the fuck up and just sit there, I'm not in the mood for your shit tonight." I was getting really annoyed with her little comments already and we'd only been in the car for a few minutes. I was going to end up smacking her before we even made it home.

"Oooooh, what crawled up your ass?" And when I didn't reply, she continued, "You know, Bella seems really nice, Edward, I hope you don't fuck her around, 'cause I know some of the skanks you've gone out with."

I glanced over at her and growled, "Rosie, I am warning you once, you shut up and leave Bella alone."

"I'm not sayin' anything; I just hope you treat her right because Alice doesn't think Bella's had it all that easy...whatever that means." She shrugged her shoulders.

I guess she finally decided she'd said enough because she turned up the music and didn't say anything else until we got home, when she muttered a, "Thanks," before running in the house.

I was just relieved to be out of the car and away from her.

Rose was a good sister, but she could be so fucking annoying sometimes.

After I got to my room, I took a quick shower and changed my clothes, and then I was out the door and on my way to the Em's. If Bella wasn't going to at least talk to me, or have the decency to respond to my texts, then I would just go out, forget about it, and have a little fun with Em. Maybe even get in a good game of beer pong.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Em, realizing when I glanced at my dashboard clock that I was running late.

"Hey, meathead."

"Listen, you fucking pussy, you better not be bailing on me."

Yeah, Em hated that. Once some of our friends got girlfriends they tended to bail on their real friends. That was life in high school, but it was also a poor way to treat friends that had been with you since Kindergarten.

"I'm not, I swear. I'm just running a little late, I had to pick up Rose earlier. I'll meet you at Jasper's, okay?"

"Yeah, that's cool. You bringing Bella?"

"No, she couldn't make it." It wasn't really a lie and I wasn't in the mood to explain anything else.

"Sounds good, more beer for us!"

We ended the call and I drove the busy streets to Jasper's house. I would be staying there tonight, that's the only reason why I was bringing my car at all. I was planning on having some beer, and I wasn't stupid enough to drive afterwards. An OUI could kill my scholarship, so I needed to be careful and responsible.

When I rolled in I saw Em was already there, unloading a keg. After I parked, I ran up to help him.

I grabbed one side and he got the other. "In the kitchen, man. Jas doesn't want the disaster from last time in the living room," he said as we heaved the beer filled can into the Hale's house.

I remembered what happened last time well. Rachel, my ex, ended up getting very drunk and grabbing the tap, letting the beer flow all over the Hale's hardwood floor.

If I had been still dating her at the time, I was pretty sure I would've lost Em and Jas as friends that night.

She was always trying to show off, though I wasn't really sure what she was going for when she ended up wasting perfectly good beer and nearly wrecking the Hale's house. Not to mention busting up our party.

We made a plan to stop inviting her and her twin sister, Rebecca, at that point. They just weren't welcome anymore, but that didn't mean they wouldn't show up. They were two of a kind; they could never seem to take 'no' for an answer.

"Hey Jas," I said as I turned and saw him putting out some snacks.

"Hey, Cullen, glad you could make it," he replied with a devilish grin. "Let's have some fun, and relax!"

We finished setting up and greeted our friends as they got there.

I didn't put too much effort into partying, because honestly, once I was there, I wasn't really 'feeling it'. I wanted to go find Bella and talk to her; find out what the hell was going on with her. Leaving things the way we did was driving me nuts.

"E, how about defending that pong title of yours?" Eric asked when he found me slumped on the sofa.

"Sure," I sighed, because getting drunk seemed like a lot better option than being bummed all night.

I played six games and was surprisingly still sober when I decided I was done.

The rest took turns, forming teams and battling it out all while I looked on and tried to forget about Bella.

It just wasn't happening though.

Just as I was getting up to get another beer, I heard a voice I was not in the mood for.

"Eddie! There you are, baby!" Rachel squealed as she ran over to me and flung her arms around my waist.

I immediately unhooked her hands and shrugged out of her grasp. "Rachel, what are you doing here?" I looked between her and Rebecca.

"Oh, you know us, always up for a party! Aren't you glad to see me, baby?"

"Rachel, I am gonna tell you this again…I am not your baby; we broke up, remember?" And then I walked away with Rebecca telling Rachel not to worry, that I would come around. I shook my head and kept walking.

It wasn't too long after that, I heard Jasper tell them to leave, they weren't welcome. And that was the last I saw of them. Thank fuck for that!

Eventually the hours slipped by and I just sat around and chatted with my friends, checking my phone for messages ever now and then.

People passed out and the party wound down. I claimed the couch and attempted to sleep, but it just wasn't coming to me; all I wanted was some kind of contact with Bella.

So I pulled out my phone and rattled off one last text message before plugging in my headphones and closing my eyes.

Hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

* * *

**What did you think of his question to Dr. Denali... or her response? **

**How about the party?**

**Or what Rose mentioned to him?**

**I wonder what he texted to her... **


	13. Jake

**Thank you MC for being the very best beta/co-author a girl could ask for! Love you!**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 12**

**BPOV**

I felt awful.

My bedroom that had always seemed like a sanctuary over the past few months…now seemed like the loneliest place on Earth.

I was hiding, yes. Not to mention worrying my father into a tizzy while I was at it and there was nothing I could do about it. He was a worrier by nature, well maybe not by nature, but having the likes of me as a daughter definitely brought out that gene, that's for sure.

As soon as I'd walked out the doors with my father, I'd wanted to go back in the hospital and hug Edward, apologize for flipping out like I did. But I couldn't. He would want answers. Answers to questions that I wasn't ready to be asked…or to answer. We weren't there yet, were we? Was I ready to share my burdens with him?

I just didn't feel like it was fair to him...

He'd been a great friend and was so sweet and kind to me, and I knew he cared about me, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him all of my dark, little secrets. I also wasn't sure he was ready to hear them. I didn't even think Alice was ready yet.

The texts that I got from Edward last night though, made me wonder, especially the last one.

_B__ella,__ I'm sorry about earlier __at the hospital__. __I didn't mean to upset you or your dad._ _I hope everything__'__s okay. You know you can always count on me, right?__ - E_

A lump formed in my throat and I closed my eyes. I hated hurting him, and knew my reaction was not me, but I was so tired and panicked when I saw him.

I made a plan to apologize to him first thing Monday; it needed to be done in person. I had to fix this...at least try to. And I'd also resolved to spend dinner with him the next time he asked, if he still wanted me there; I hoped he did.

I didn't know what was really coming over me, but I was beginning to feel weird about Edward. It seemed like every time I was around him this fluttering would begin, especially when he touched me, and then when I felt like I hurt him, my whole chest ached. I had never experienced anything like it…and it was a bit disconcerting.

I needed to talk to Alice soon; she was the only one I could confide in.

I was shaken from my thoughts by a knock on my bedroom door. "Bella, Jake is going to come by and stay with you for a while. I need to get some paperwork done at the office before tomorrow, okay?" Dad asked through the door.

What was I supposed to say?

No?

If I did he still wouldn't leave me alone. And I sure didn't need a home health care worker running around Dad's pristine apartment again.

Jake was a good option. He was the son of Dad's one and only real friend here in Boston. Billy Johnson was a great guy and owned the machine shop downtown. He and Dad met through Dad's work, but instead of Dad just bullshitting around with numbers to him they both found a common ground, not to mention their love for cleanliness.

I knew it seemed unusual for a machinist to like shit clean…but Billy ran a respectable business, and he and his son Jake were good people. And even though they _knew_ all about me, they didn't treat me any different which was so refreshing.

"Okay Dad, sounds good," I shouted back through the door. As much as I wanted to open it and tell him that, I hadn't showered yet today and Dad wouldn't be pleased if I were to open the door like that.

"What time are you leaving?" I wondered.

"About an hour."

"Alright, I'll just give Mom a call and then I'll clean up."

"Sounds good, baby, get some rest today," he said softly before I heard his retreating footsteps.

I plopped on the bed and pulled out my phone.

It rang and rang before she finally answered.

"Well, hello there, miss busy!" she greeted warmly.

"Hi Mom. How're you doing?"

"Oh hon, I'm good. I'm trying to get the shop up and running," she told me.

Mom, who had been an excellent caretaker, before I moved to Boston with Dad, was now reaching for her dreams by opening a floral shop. It was just a small one on the side of a strip mall, but she was over the moon about it. And they were just days away from their grand opening. She knew it wasn't peak flower season, being October after all, but she hoped for some big orders rolling in around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom was very creative and I knew her business would be a success; I was very happy for her, she was a great Mom.

"That's awesome, not long now, huh?" I asked, smiling at how happy her voice sounded.

"No, not at all. But enough about me. How's my girl? How's school? Any boys yet?" she asked, firing questions off in succession. Mom was like that, especially when she got excited.

"I'm okay. I actually just went to the doctor's on Friday. But I'll let Dad fill you in on all the technical stuff, I'm doing fine now, and to be honest, I'm tired of thinking about it," I said, blowing out a breath. "School is fun, and I love my classes; I am so thankful to have this opportunity. I never expected high school to be like it is, Mom. And Alice has introduced me to some awesome friends. She's been great."

Mom had heard all about Alice on one of the first calls to her after Dad got me my iPhone. She'd also spoken to her on a few occasions. I think it was her way of making sure I had good friends up here. It's hard for her, not being with me all the time. And also knowing that I hadn't been out in the world really, and she wouldn't be around to guide me through it. Five years was a long time to be cooped up, and then coming out in to a public high school after all that. She was worried that I would get mixed up with the wrong crowd, but she trusted Dad to keep a close eye on me, and we'd talked a lot and she knew I was responsible and would be careful.

"That's wonderful. She's such a sweetheart. So, tell me, has she introduced you to any fine, young men?" she wondered giggling.

"Well yeah, sort of," I murmured, feeling my cheeks heat as images from the other night flashed in my head.

Kissing Edward made my pulse race and my palms sweat.

"Tell me all about him!" she squealed.

So I did.

I began to babble on and on about Edward to my mom. She wanted to know, so I gave her all the details, especially about how sweet and pretty he was, and how good he treated me. And then I casually explained how we'd been hanging out after school. I knew she would be worried at first, but I also knew that once she was sure that I was being careful, she would be fine.

"Bella, you know you need to be really cautious with a boy, right?"

"Yes Mom, I remember just fine, don't worry. Besides, we haven't even gotten anywhere near that…territory yet. But if we ever do, I promise he'll know everything first."

"Well, that's good to know. It's important he be informed, Isabella, if you are to become more than good friends… But has he kissed you yet?" she asked, picking up the excitement in her voice again.

I smiled and felt my cheeks heat again.

"Yeah, just a few times," I murmured, my face breaking out into a huge grin.

"That's wonderful. How long have you been dating again?" she questioned and I froze.

We weren't, were we? Edward and I hadn't talked at all about being together. I had my reasons. I figured once he knew the truth he wouldn't want me anyway.

A heavy weight settled over me and I felt like I was in a losing battle.

"Um… We're not."

"Oh," she said softly.

"Mom, I can't do that to him, you know? It's nice now. He likes me, he's so sweet, we have a great time together, but long-term… I just can't do that to him. Because what if…" I choked on the words as the tears started to form in my eyes.

"Bella, you don't know how it will be in a few months, no one does. You should try living your life for the here and now, and enjoying it all, every day to the fullest," she said with a sigh.

"I'll see what I can do," I told her, wiping away the few tears that had escaped. "Thanks, Mom, I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie."

Before we hung up I wished her good luck with her opening and told her to send me lots of pictures. After that I showered and headed to catch a show with Dad before he left. Just as the credits began to roll there was a knock on the door.

"There's Jake," Dad said, before hollering for him to come in.

Jake knew the drill and did it well when he came into the condo. His dad wasn't as bad as mine, but Billy was definitely a little OCD. He slipped his shoes off and deposited them into the Rubbermaid tote next to the door. Then took a double dose of hand sanitizer, before slipping on the medical grade shoe coverings that Dad had next to the dispenser.

Finally, he was ready to enter the living room.

"Hi Jake," I said walking over to him.

"Hey Bella," he said warmly before pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my head.

He was sweet and gorgeous, but being in his arms…he definitely didn't make me feel like Edward did. Besides, Jake was two years older than me. He went to Boston College where he played football and had swarms of girls vying for his attention.

"So, Bells, it's just going to be me and you today, huh? I'm thinking we could get into some trouble, what do you say?" he asked, before throwing me a wink.

I laughed when Dad cleared his throat; I knew a lecture was coming. "Jake, the doctor said she needed to take it easy. Not too much excitement today, so hopefully she can go to school tomorrow. Okay?"

"I got it Charlie, no worries, Bella will be in safe hands." He rubbed his large hands together and laughed. He was such a funny guy, he always made me smile.

Dad nodded and smiled before kissing my forehead and grabbing his briefcase. "But try to have some fun, okay?" he asked. "Maybe some fresh air would do you good, Bella," he added before leaving.

I knew I'd been worrying him, especially when he was telling me to have fun after the visit I'd had with the doctor this weekend. Yeah, I really needed to change my mood. I was sure I could make things better with Edward, so I really needed to stop worrying over our situation.

Jake and I chilled watching TV for a while. But eventually we both got bored. I was sick of being cooped up and there wasn't anything good on. Maybe Dad was right, and some fresh air would perk me up.

I turned to Jake. "Would you mind taking me out for a bit, anywhere would be fine?" I asked him.

"Sure… Wanna grab a smoothie?" Jake asked as he clicked the TV set off.

"Yeah, that actually sounds really good," I told him with a smile.

It actually did. Dad wouldn't take me to get a smoothie, that was obvious, and a smoothie was something good that I could have without worrying.

We loaded into Jake's classic Chevy pick-up. It was something he spent his high school years restoring. He said it kept him out of trouble and that made me question him, because really, I couldn't see him ever getting in trouble. He was smart, focused, sports-minded, and I knew he helped his dad a lot at the shop too.

I stared out the window as Jake drove us. The town city passed us by and I briefly wondered if it was always busy. It must be, I mused, as I watched hoards of people come and go…even on a Sunday.

He finally stopped just outside a tiny coffee shop on the edge of town. It was just down the street from my high school. And Jake was right, scribbled in their window was all of the different kinds of smoothies they made fresh every day.

My stomach grumbled as he helped me down and out of the truck.

Once we were in the small shop, I told him what I wanted and Jake told me to find a seat while he got us our drinks.

I was honestly a little grateful since I was feeling a bit tired; I guess I should have really been having an afternoon nap. Something about just the short trip had already worn me out.

I sighed and waited for him.

Jake came bounding over to the table with our drinks and he slid right into the opposing seat. We joked and laughed about the crazy lady behind the counter. Jake told me about starting his second year of college and how tough his football practices were…he said he was still sore from two days ago. He mentioned I should come watch him sometime; just to let him know when and he'd get me a couple tickets. I said that would be great and I'd give him a call.

We continued to chat a bit longer, I told him about my school, and when our drinks dried up Jake told me he thought it was time to head home, that I was looking pretty tired. I waved him off and told him I was fine and thanked him for being such a great friend.

But when I stood, I was lightheaded and so overly tired all of a sudden that I had to grip the table to keep from falling down. Jake quickly came over and wrapped an arm around my waist to help steady me, saying he'd help me out to the truck. We got to the door and I leaned into him. I couldn't help it, I just felt so weak, like my legs we made of jelly.

And as we walked across the street, I recognized the car stopped, allowing us to pass.

It was Edward and that blonde from the other table at lunch. He stared at me…mouth agape, before stepping on the gas and peeling away.

My eyebrows furrowed and I sunk my face further into Jake's side. I guess Edward was understandably still pretty upset with me; God, I needed to talk to him soon but…

What was Edward doing with that girl?

Jake helped me into the truck, even buckling me in before hopping into the driver's seat.

I quickly pulled out my phone and managed to rattle off a text message to Edward, something that I should've done earlier.

_Edward, I miss you. I can't tell you how sorry I am and hope we can talk tomorrow. - B_

* * *

**How do you think Monday will go?**

**What do you think of Jake?**

**See you tomorrow for some Traveler! :)**


	14. Making Up

**Thank you to my co-author MC!**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 13**

**EPOV**

On Monday I got to school early. I wasn't sure if it was my desire to see her, or if it was the need to piss her off just like she had me.

She'd texted me this lame message. Something about her wanting to talk to me today and being sorry. It was bullshit if you ask me. I watched how she hung all over that guy. She didn't look all that sorry then. And I knew damn well that she saw me. There was only one reason why that fucking text rolled in when it did…to clear her conscience. It was clear she meant more to me than I did to her.

_Did I mean anything to her? At all?_

God, I had to reign in this anger…it was really unlike me.

Frustrated, I parked and pulled my backpack from the backseat before throwing it over my shoulder and going to find the gang. I tried to calm down and collect myself as I walked over to them, but it was hard. Just thinking about last night, seeing her like that… It burned me.

They were in their usual spot, just outside the back door, all huddled together. And as I was walking up to them there was an unmistakable brunette squished between Emmett and Alice. Yeah… There she was…cowardly hiding between her bodyguards.

My anger began to build again as I got closer.

And when I finally reached them, everyone continued to act like nothing was wrong. That couldn't be further from reality, but if that was the way they were all going to play it, fine then. Fuck it.

"Hey E," Jasper greeted.

I nodded, suddenly feeling like I didn't want to talk.

Bella was on the other side of the circle, but I stayed right where I was, avoiding her gaze. Even though I could clearly feel it locked on me. She wanted my attention, but I wasn't having it. She didn't deserve it, not after what I saw. I was so angry, hurt and confused.

"God Edward, what crawled up your ass this morning?" Alice asked when she realized I wasn't even going to say hi to her precious Bella.

I just shook my head. "Shut up, Alice." Rose was a few feet away and I felt the sudden urge to go see how my sister was doing.

"Rosie, what's up?" I said, throwing my arm around her and messing up her hair. She was my baby sister and that was just what you did with baby sisters.

"Ed, come on! Don't touch the hair," she whined, pulling away from me.

I stayed though, choosing to chat with her friends over talking to anyone who was still associating with Bella. Maybe she didn't blow off everyone else over the weekend? Maybe she didn't freak out on any of them?

I shook my head and continued to strike up a conversation with Jess, Rose's friend; they were on the cheerleading team together. I knew her pretty well…and I also knew she had a thing for me. So it was kind of fun to talk to her and see her blush when I asked her a question.

I stood there for a little while, like I said, it was early and we still had some time before homeroom. We always met early on Mondays to catch up from the weekend.

Jess and I were chatting about her new sports car when I felt a tug on the back of my shirt and then a hand rest on my waist.

"Hey Edward," a tiny voice whispered and I knew who it was right away. I could also feel her hand tremble where she touched me.

I wanted to turn around and scream at her for the aggravation that she'd caused me over the weekend. I couldn't even enjoy Jasper's rager for Christ's sake.

But I didn't. Her sweet voice, just the sound of my name coming from her lips, was enough for me to think better of it.

Instead, I slowly turned to see her standing behind me, she dropped her hand, and then I walked us back a bit away from Rose's group. I didn't say anything; I just looked at her, waiting for her to talk. She wasn't smiling, and she looked so tired and small, and when her eyes wouldn't meet mine I couldn't help but to put a finger under her chin. I was desperate to see her face. In that moment I knew it was time for us to talk. We needed to either cement this or go our separate ways, because this, whatever this was, wasn't just a high school crush.

"Bella, you need to say something. What's the matter?" I wondered looking down into her sad eyes.

"Do you have a minute? We really need to talk?" she whispered; her eyes misty with emotion.

I looked around to see if any of our friends had put her up to this, but when I saw that Alice wasn't even watching her, I decided that talking was for the best. We needed to clear the air about what happened. And I would be a dick to not hear her out.

So I nodded, before taking her hand and pulling her with me to the edge of the parking lot. It backed up to the woods and it was secluded. I knew we would have the privacy we needed.

"Alright, what did you want to talk about first because I think we have a few things we need to discuss?"

"I'm so sorry," she breathed, looking up into my eyes. "I didn't mean to treat you like that. I was just so tired and running off of almost no sleep. And when you texted me Saturday night, I couldn't come up with anything that sounded sincere enough to send you. I've always been told that the important things in life should be done face to face. I felt that apologizing to you, was one of those," she murmured then she let her forehead fall forward on to my chest.

Her words were beyond sincere. The emotion in her eyes had told me that she meant every word and I wanted nothing more than to lift her head and plant a kiss on those full lips. But we were at school, a setting that was completely and totally different from the inside of my bedroom. In high school, the rules were different and I wasn't sure what Bella wanted from me…from us. If you kissed at school, it was almost as good as putting it on Facebook. Everyone would know by the end of the day.

Not to mention, we still had that other pesky little subject to talk about.

"It's okay," I said softly, because having her stand in front of me, I couldn't imagine telling her anything else.

She cautiously looked up at me to see if I was serious and when she got her answer I was a little taken by surprise at her reaction. Her arms wrapped around me so quick I couldn't even think. My arms automatically wrapped around her too. While we had stuff to talk about, it was still just nice having her close, holding her to me. And thankfully, hugs were not on the same level as kisses in high school.

I swallowed and pulled back slightly. "What about that guy I saw you with yesterday evening?"

It was tough pulling back from her. She was everything I wanted and I couldn't help but feel the need to be close to her after what we'd just gone through.

"Oh, Jake?" she questioned, not meeting my eyes.

"Yeah, _him_."

Her brown eyes peeked up at mine and I watched her intently. I wanted to make sure she wasn't lying to me. Those other girls. The ones I'd been with that filled the halls here. The ones that were supposed to be nothing like her, that's what they did… I'd seen lots of that bullshit. They lied, all the time. It was sickening and I wanted something different. I wanted her, but I needed to make sure she was just as honest as I believed her to be.

"He's a long-time family friend," she murmured. "My dad had to work yesterday and still isn't comfortable leaving me home alone, you know, he's a bit overprotective, because I'm new here. And Jake had wanted to visit me anyway, so we spent the afternoon catching up. But I wasn't feeling well while we were in the coffee shop and he was just helping me out to the truck when I saw you."

"Uh huh," I said. I didn't feel like she was lying, but I could see that wasn't the whole truth either, and I had no idea what she was hiding. I did notice though when she said that he was just a friend, it didn't seem to be a lie. So I accepted it. I would press her for more, soon.

"He is Edward, just a friend."

"Like you and I are friends?" I wondered quickly.

Maybe that was what she did? Maybe she just went around kissing her friends?

She shook her head quickly. "No! Nothing like that. We're not-," she stopped, taking a breath. "I'm not like that with him," she said quietly, looking away, as a blush began to light up her sweet cheeks.

I nodded. "Good, because I'd be pissed."

She peered up at me again with a smile on her lips.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and was about to lead her off towards the rest of our friends, but she stopped us.

"What about…God this is ridiculous… What about that blond, the one in your car and who you put your arm around this morning? Who is she?"

I could feel the concern coming off her in waves. She was embarrassed too.

And even though she'd fucked up my weekend I couldn't let her sit there and suffer.

But first I chuckled.

"That's my sister, Bella."

She gaped at me, her pretty mouth a complete 'O'. And if I were an asshole I would've told her to put it to good use. But I wasn't and kept my mouth shut.

"Rosalie Ann Cullen, she's my younger, very annoying sister. Who I have to drive to piano lessons, cheerleading practices and the mall," I told her rolling my eyes.

"Really?" Bella squeaked.

"Really, baby."

"Wow, I'm such an idiot."

"No you're not, now that I think about it, I don't remember her ever being home while you were there, but then she's always gone someplace. So it makes sense that you didn't know who she was."

"God, I'm so sorry. I've been horrible," she murmured. "Can you forgive me, Edward?"

I just shook my head and sighed, then pulled her into another hug. "Yes, we're good." She hugged me back nice and tight, and I could feel her relax as she exhaled.

The bell rang and we let each other go, but I stuck close, walking next to her all the way to my homeroom. I was able to make it through to lunch concentrating on my classes and taking notes, keeping my mind mainly off Bella.

Yes, I'd been easy to forgive, but we still needed to talk more. If something was going on with her dad, I wanted to know. And if we were going to be more than friends that kissed, then I needed to meet him and have an actual conversation. Not just the brief, awkward meeting that we'd had at the hospital.

At lunch I sat next to her and I bought her a piece of pie for dessert, which she insisted we share. It was kind of intimate and felt good.

So sue me, I liked her and for some reason she felt like she couldn't trust me, so I was going to earn it and if that meant spoiling her a bit to show her how much I cared then I would. It was weird, but I felt like I needed for her to trust me. That was something totally new for me. Before, I really didn't give a shit if the girl I was dating or trying to date told me anything about her, but with Bella it was different.

I suddenly wanted to know everything.

I wanted her to feel safe with me. I wanted to be the one she ran to, not from. I was going to have to work for it, but I was okay with that.

After lunch we walked to Mr. Daniel's class. We were early and had a few quiet moments together, so I decided to test the waters.

"So how's your dad?" I asked casually.

"He's fine," she answered quickly.

"Listen Bella, I didn't mean to offend you or him on Saturday. I just wanted to introduce myself."

She gulped and looked down at the table.

"Whatever it was must've been pretty serious for them to keep him overnight. I was just worried, that's all."

She sighed and glanced up at me. "It's okay, Edward. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. He's fine though, really," she told me.

"And you know that I'm here for you if you ever need a shoulder to lean on, right?

She nodded, before murmuring a quiet, "Yes."

Mr. Daniel walked in then and we had to pay attention, but I was planning on keeping my promise to her. I was going to be here for her…however she needed me.

* * *

**Oh shit! Okay, so he's all in, huh?**

**They talked through things.**

**What did you guys think?**


	15. First Love & Bullies

**I owe so much to MC on this one. Not only did she beta, pre-read and make suggestions, but she also cleaned this puppy up for me. It's been a long week.. and she's been a great friend. Give her all the credit one guys!**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 14**

**BPOV**

Over the next few days Edward and I slowly fell back into our normal routine. Thankfully, he didn't let Jake bother him, although, I had a feeling that he would prefer me to never see him again.

I was just happy to have things back to normal. It was a good routine and I had really come to like it, so on Tuesday when he asked me to come over, I beamed at him.

As the days went on we continued to do our homework and watch a movie.

But until last night, he hadn't kissed me again. And I was starting to worry a little. I wanted those kisses. They were something I had just gotten used to and now without them, I craved them so much more.

I was almost ready to think he wasn't going to again when he reached over me for the remote, but something happened. His hand slipped and he ended up right over me. My heart began to beat unsteadily and my breathing began to get shallow.

_Oh my…_

His eyes seemed to bore into mine and there was just no turning away from their intensity.

The fact that Edward was hovering over me was enough to make all coherent thought pretty much halt.

His hand reached up and he tentatively brushed my cheek. The feeling of his fingertips ghosting over my skin sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted this and so much more. I knew my boundaries though and I was still well within them. My eyes were on his, silently pleading with him to give me what I was begging for.

"Bella," he whispered before leaning down and pressing a kiss to my closed lips.

I was so nervous that my eyes shut instantly. Yes, we'd kissed a little over a week ago, but now it felt brand new again. His lips were soft and sweet, and being that close to him allowed me access to his heady scent. Another deep breath filled my head even more with Edward. That was something so incredibly new that I didn't even know what to do with it. I felt drunk on him, even though I didn't really know what drunk felt like, but I imagined it was close to this.

We stayed still, sharing small kisses until passion overwhelmed us and he mashed his lips against mine. His hand even clasped on to my hip. The feeling of him holding me there was indescribable, but I easily knew I liked it and I wanted more of it.

I ended up gasping in surprise and he pulled back, thinking he hurt me.

After I assured him that he hadn't, he rolled back over to his spot. It was clear that he thought it was time to cool it down some. But as he moved back, there was no mistaking something that rubbed against my thigh. Something hard. And just thinking about it was making my heart race.

We went back to watching the movie and cuddling. It was a nice combination, but nonetheless I was dying for another kiss.

I got one before I left that evening. It left me feeling like I was floating on air. He drove me home, but once we were there I quickly parted from him and headed inside. I knew that my dad wouldn't want to see me hanging on a guy in his car. He might be cool with me going over to Edward's because he knew that I had a good head on shoulders, but seeing it would definitely be too much for him.

The next day, before Alice picked me up for school, I came out to talk to my dad.

"Hey Pops," I said, seeing him over at the fridge with a wipe.

"Morning honey," he murmured, scrubbing away at the front of it.

"So, listen, I know you usually work late on Fridays," I began suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Yeah?" he drawled.

"Well, I was sort of wondering if I could stay at Edward's for dinner tonight. I mean, only because you won't be home anyway."

"Are Edward's parents okay with it?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"Yeah, his mom has asked every time I've been over," I told him. "I've always said no and came home, but tonight I'd really like to be able to say yes."

He nodded seeming to think over my words. "You don't have a doctor's appointment, so I don't see why not. But try not to be out too late, okay baby girl?"

"Sure Daddy, thanks," I said softly and reached up on my tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. He glanced down at me with a smile playing at his lips.

That was one thing about Dad, even though he was a germaphobe, he didn't mind a small amount of affection from me at all.

"You're growing up so fast," he murmured, looking reminiscent.

I smiled and then my phone rang.

It was Alice alerting me that she was outside.

I said goodbye before meeting her out by the curb.

My morning classes flew by quite quickly and for that I was happy because it meant I got to see Edward all that much sooner. Lunch was awesome just for that fact. Getting to see him and hang out with him for forty-five minutes, while we chatted with our friends, was the highlight of my school day.

Just plain excellent if you asked me.

Rose, who I now knew was Edward's sister, managed to sit a table or two away from us and throw in comments when she wanted. Now though, I listened, because I wanted to know her. There was something about her being Edward's sister that was enough for me to have the urge to become friends with her. But I was too shy for that. Maybe I would have Alice introduce me…one day.

All I knew about her was that she was younger than us and she was on the cheerleading squad. Oh and that pretty much every guy in the school wanted to date her. She was gorgeous after all.

I sat in my seat and waited for the rest of the gang to arrive while I unpacked my lunch.

Edward plopped down next to me. And I felt the happiness radiate within my whole body.

He smiled at me and I grinned right back.

"How're you doing, Bella?" he asked after kicking his backpack under the table and setting his stray book next to his chair.

"Oh, I'm fine," I said brightly. "It was a good morning; I'm enjoying my classes."

"That's great. So, what are we up to tonight?" he asked quietly, after looking around.

"Well, I was going to surprise you, but I asked my dad and he said I could stay for dinner tonight and maybe even a little afterward since he'll be working late."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, he was cool with it."

"Excellent," he murmured with a huge smile cracking his face.

"Oh shoot, I forgot a milk," I said with a sigh after I'd unpacked my lunch.

"Come up with me, I'll get you one," he said pulling me up from the table. The weird part was that he never let go of my hand once I was standing. No, instead his fingers twined with mine and I felt elated.

We waited in the growing line still holding hands, then Edward collected his food and eventually a milk for me.

"Thank you," I said shyly. "You know you didn't have to do that, right?"

"Don't worry about it, baby," he whispered in my ear, before leading us back to our table. My hand was still clasped in his and he carried the tray with his other hand.

I felt like queen of the world.

We held hands mostly through lunch and when we did have to let go, it wasn't long before our fingers linked back up. As soon as lunch was over Edward began to lead me to Mr. Daniel's classroom, but I needed to make a stop first.

"Hey, I'll meet you there; I just have to hit the bathroom first, okay?"

"Sure," he said, still smiling.

I took my time letting go, gathering my courage as I went and then finally I reached up and pecked him on the lips. It was so quick someone could've missed it if they'd have blinked, but it was significant to me. It was the first time I'd ever initiated a kiss with him. And I did it at school…in public. I guess that to many people, especially Alice, they said it was a big deal.

He looked a little surprised, but when he pulled me into him for a hug and kissed my forehead, I knew I hadn't messed up.

Then when we were finally disconnected I hurried into the bathroom, wanting to be quick and back with Edward.

When I got into the stall I finally realized just how fast my heart was beating and I knew I needed to calm down, but it was so hard when I was so excited about what just happened. It was like Christmas had come early. I finally felt like maybe I was a normal teenager.

Just as I was coming out I heard some voices and fully intended to bypass the girls. I still wasn't good with new people yet.

"It's her," I heard someone whisper, before I was pushed into the sinks. My breath caught and I closed my eyes.

I wasn't so far removed that I didn't know about school bullying, but I really never pictured myself becoming a target for it.

When I opened my eyes I saw two girls standing in front of me, one wrinkling her nose and the other one, looking like she was preparing for a fight.

The larger one, the one that looked like she was ready to start something stepped in front of the smaller one.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, making me shrink back into the porcelain.

I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Listen, we know you're new here, so I'm going to be kind and give you a pass. But you need to do yourself a favor and leave Eddie the fuck alone."

_What in the world?_

What were they talking about?

I couldn't imagine breaking apart from him now. Not after all that we'd shared. I knew he really like me and I felt the same.

"Why?" I choked out.

"Because he's Rachel's," the bigger one said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. "They used to date, you know? They fucked, and then he went off on his own for a bit in the summer and now we find out it was to play happy go lucky with the new girl. Well, this is me ending that. They need to get back together and if you're in the hallway playing kissy face with him, it's going to make it difficult. You know what I mean?"

I took one look at the smaller one and couldn't believe that she and Edward used to date, although it was hard to picture him with anyone, especially when I felt so special when we were together.

I spluttered and searched for words, but nothing came. My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I felt the tears of panic spring to my eyes.

"He's mine. And you're certainly not going to come in between us," the Rachel girl sneered. "Stay the fuck away from him!"

"And _Bella_, now that you've been warned, if I see you near him again, we're going to have some issues. You won't have a pass then," the larger one muttered low and menacingly, smacking her fist into her open palm.

I quickly nodded and the two girls walked out of the bathroom cackling to themselves. My knees went weak and I dropped to the floor. My heart pounded erratically in my chest just as tunnel vision started to kick in. I knew something was not right and as hard as I tried to call out to anyone, I just couldn't find the strength.

I had no idea how much time passed before I felt a cold draft. The blackness had begun to seep over me just as two tiny, warm arms wrapped around me.

"Everything's going to be all right, Bella, I'm here," I heard a sweet, familiar voice whisper.

Alice.

She spoke in to her phone – I could barely make out the object in her hand - to someone, but her words were all muffled in my ears. After she hung up she laid her head on top of mine, and brushed my hair, effectively calming me, so I heard her say, "An ambulance is on the way, Bella. Please nod if you can hear me."

I tilted my head in a slight nod the best I could.

"I know you don't want to tell me your secret Bella, but please know you don't have to hide from me, or our friends. You can trust us," she whispered then kissed my forehead.

Just before the blackness took over.

* * *

**Again, give MC all the love for this one. **

**What will happen next?**

**Will Bella tell Alice?**

**What will Edward think?**

**See you next time!**


	16. Boston Medical Center

**Thanks to MC for Beta'ing this one for me! **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**EPOV**

**Tick Tock**

I paced and paced, by the side of my car, before dialing her number for the hundredth time. She just wasn't picking up. But I figured if I annoyed her enough, she would eventually.

When Bella didn't show up for class, after it had started, I began to wonder where the hell she was…and I started to get worried. After fifteen minutes, I texted Alice, asking her to go check on Bella, telling her that she'd gone to the bathroom just outside the Bio Lab, and then when I didn't hear back from Alice I went up and told Mr. Daniel. He had gotten a concerned look on his face and immediately called the office with the emergency intercom.

And, now that class was over, and after hearing sirens, and whispers about someone being taking away by ambulance, I was freaking out!

I didn't know how Bella could possibly be involved, but my brain was hardwired to worry thanks to my mother and I needed to make sure it wasn't her.

"Hello?"

_Fucking finally!_

"Alice, what the hell is going on?" I said, frantically into the phone.

"What do mean?" she asked, sounding flustered.

I couldn't figure out why she was trying to act like nothing happened, when she knew I was worried about Bella not showing up for class.

"Don't play dumb, Alice… What the fuck happened to Bella?" I gritted out.

She sighed. "I'm not really sure, Edward. She had some kind of an accident in the bathroom; she needed to go to the hospital. She's fine, though," she said gently, trying to appease me.

I shook my head and balled my fist; it wasn't working.

Yeah, I bet she was fine. The school just sent her by ambulance to the hospital because she was… fine.

"What kind of accident?"

"Edward, I don't know all of the details right now. I'm sorry; I was just the one who found her after you texted me. Do you want me to call you when I know more?"

"No. I'm coming down. What hospital are you at?"

She sighed again before telling me the ambulance had taken her to BMC. The same one my father worked at.

"Thanks," I managed to get out before hanging up and getting into my car.

I sped down the street avoiding traffic as I went. There was no way I was just going to let Bella sit in the hospital by herself. Not after today. I couldn't figure out why Alice didn't want me there though. It just made no sense. She of all people had to realize how I felt about Bella. She knew I didn't stick around with girls just for the hell of it. I was and had mostly been a relationship kind of guy. Yes, we hadn't exactly nailed down what we were yet, mainly because I was a pussy, but that didn't take away from what I felt for Bella. Alice had to see that, right?

When I reached the busy medical center I quickly found a parking space around by the Emergency Room entrance and hurried in.

I was happy to have friends here at a time like this.

There was no way that nurses would normally give out room numbers to fellow students. But I was Carlisle Cullen's son, and they wouldn't turn me away.

At the window I smiled at Janice who recognized me quickly.

"Hey Jan, I'm looking for what room Isabella Swan is in," I told her smoothly.

"Edward, you know I can't tell you that information unless you're family."

I swallowed and spoke low, "It's for my father, I'm running an errand."

"Oh, alright," she said with a sly smile, knowing that I was fibbing before clicking away at her keyboard.

"She's in one-twelve," she murmured just as low, before buzzing me through the giant double doors.

"Thanks Jan, I owe you one." I smiled, but I knew by the motherly look she gave me that she could see the concern on my face.

I swiftly walked down the corridor and around the next nurses' station as I located her room. It was on the end. As I recalled, that wasn't really a good sign. I remembered my father saying that they only put high-priority cases there. And of course celebrities if they ever happened to wind up in BMC's ER.

I wondered what kind of accident Bella could've had to warrant all this attention. All sorts of awful scenarios began drifting through my head. But I didn't let myself dwell on them. No, instead, I went to the door and rapped hard on it.

"Come in," I heard a man grumble.

I quickly took a calming breath before twisting the handle and heading in.

When I entered the room though, Bella was nowhere to be found. Just an empty spot in the middle of the room where her bed should've been.

"Hi Edward, I'm Charlie, Bella's father," the man in the corner murmured giving me a small wave.

I blinked for a moment. "Uh, hi Charlie," I returned lamely. "Nice to...um…officially meet you." I wanted to shake his hand, something to show my respect, but I vividly remembered our last meeting and I knew that wasn't a good idea.

"Oh Edward, there you are," I heard from behind me. It was Alice.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked; my voice laced with concern as I stared at the empty spot with intent.

"They took Bella down for tests. They're just being super cautious because it happened on school grounds. You know how they are, always wanting to cover their ass and all that."

"What kind of accident was it?" I questioned again, looking between Alice and Bella's father.

I watched as Alice looked over at Charlie and smiled before turning back to me. "She just tripped, I guess. We haven't really had a chance to talk with her about it. She's been really tied up with the doctor and nurses."

I was so fucking confused. What the hell kind of school calls an ambulance for when a student trips? What kind of doctor would waste precious time testing a patient that had to be fine?

"Listen, Edward, she's really frazzled right now. I think your presence will only make it worse. So, why don't you head home and I'll have her give you a call if she'd like to see you while she's here. And if not, I'm sure she'll want to see you as soon as she gets out," her father told me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. I thanked him for passing the message along that I was thinking about her, and then slowly let myself out of her room.

I knew it would be easy to abuse the power I had in the hospital. I could go over to the desk and charm one of the nurses to spill the beans on Bella. But I decided against it. She would have to come to me. She would have to tell me what the fuck was going on. And until then, I was just going to wait and hope that she was okay.

I was just about to walk out of the ER when I saw Ashley, one of the ultrasound techs, rolling her machine along the hall with her.

She was nice, and I always made a point to talk to her because I loved hearing her stories about patients. She would tell me about how she could feel the baby's feet or head as she was trying to get a good scan. And I thought that was pretty cool.

Tonight of all nights I needed a distraction.

"Hey Ash," I said jogging up next to her.

"Hey little Cullen," she said with a grin, knowing full well that I fucking hated being called that. "How's it going tonight?"

"Eh, it's been better," I told her, wanting to quickly change the subject. "What's your day been like?"

"Oh, you know, busy, busy," she said rolling the cart into its corner.

"Any interesting ones?" I asked.

"Um, I had a woman with triplets. That was kinda cool. I really had to push to get a picture and when I did I got right down between their faces."

That was sort of cool.

"Yeah and other than my last one, that was really it since lunchtime."

"What was your last one?" I wondered.

"Oh, it was an emergency roomer, she was tiny and I thought it was cool because-"

"Wait, what was her name?" I wondered, cutting her off.

I really didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help my wandering mind.

"Swan or something like that. She was a little brunette," she answered as she gathered her paperwork.

I swallowed and began to let every possibility flow through me, before I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and walked off, suddenly needing to be alone.

"Edward?" I heard Ashley call as I got further away, but I couldn't stop now.

"What the fuck?" I muttered under my breath to myself, grabbing my hair with both my hands.

Why would Bella need an ultrasound? Was Bella pregnant?

No. There was no way, was there?

She hadn't been seeing anyone, but me, right?

I found myself standing outside by my truck and I couldn't think of anything else to do except get in. What could I say to her, now?

I tried to piece everything together and pregnancy seemed like the best fit. Why would the school be so overcautious if she wasn't pregnant? And why would the hospital be running all of those tests if she wasn't pregnant?

God! How hadn't I seen it before?

She was pregnant. I had no idea how far along she was…if she was pregnant. And…would she be seeing me if she was already pregnant? Oh my God, I was so confused…again!

I scrubbed my face, feeling ridiculous. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?" I screamed, slamming my fists into my steering wheel.

My horn blared, disturbing the otherwise calm parking lot. I quickly forced my keys into the ignition before skidding out of there.

I had enough to think about for the night. I didn't need to do it in the Emergency Room driveway.

Just as I got home though, I got a very telling text from Alice.

_**Bella is okay, she said she'd call you later, not to worry, but she did not fall…we have a Rachel problem, chat later ~ A**_

It didn't shed any light on the new ultrasound information I'd just discovered, but it was helpful nonetheless. Apparently, Bella hadn't tripped. And my ex Rachel was involved. Damn that bitch; I knew then that I had some work to do and some answers to discover.

* * *

**So who thinks Bella's pregnant?**

**Who thinks there is something else going on there?**

**And who thinks Edward is gonna have his ex dealt with?**

**See you next week! **


	17. Costumes

**Thanks to MC for her mad Beta'ing skills! **

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 16**

**BPOV**

The ordeal in the hospital had been enough to drive a sane person crazy. And yet, test after test all came back the same way. I was okay. Not quite the fine that Alice had described me to Edward as, but I was certainly well enough to go home and resume school on Monday morning if my father saw fit. Which pleased me.

But before I caused myself a bigger issue with the worry and the gut turning nerves, I had decided to let him and Alice in on just what happened in that bathroom. I felt like, for my own well-being, I had to make sure it didn't happen again. It had been a terrifying feeling being that scared and I knew I could not endure that kind of stress again. Not my body, nor my mind.

Alice was now well aware of just what was wrong with me. There was no way I could hide it from her any longer considering she'd been in the ambulance and heard what they were looking for and monitoring. Not to mention that her and my father had talked at length while I was away getting poked and prodded.

And when she heard what happened between those girls and me, she flipped out, promising me that it would never happen again. My father seemed to be more or less reassured by that notion. Although he had considered contacting the school, but Alice had told him it would be dealt with immediately. He resigned, saying it had better not happen again. He was beginning to question whether or not sending me to public school for my senior year was such a good idea.

I, in turn, learned the larger girl was Rebecca and the other was Rachel, a former girlfriend of the one and only Edward Cullen. Yes, apparently Edward had a bit of a track record. But Alice reassured me that they were no longer together and he most certainly didn't have any lingering feelings for her. She also begged me to sit down and talk with him. And to fill him in on all that was really going on with me.

"Alice, I told you before, I can't do that. Not to him," I whispered brokenly. My throat started constricting and I could feel the tears beginning to take over my eyes.

"Why? You don't think he cares about you as much as you care for him?" she snapped.

I knew this stance well. I'd seen it before with other patients down in Jacksonville. They thought we were being selfish or unreasonable. Where the only thing we actually wanted was to be cautious of our loved ones' feelings. I couldn't hurt Edward. There were already too many people that I would be hurting if things took a turn for the worst, and adding him to the list was too much for me to bear.

It was a real lesson in life when it came to balancing all this. Edward, in my mind, was pretty high up there in importance, though. But I didn't want his pity. I also didn't want to see him turn his back on me, even though he deserved to. God, it was a confusing and complicated predicament.

"Ali, sit down, will ya?" I asked pulling her over to the bed. We were in her room, since I still wasn't sure what I was going to say to Edward and I'd been freaking out. I wanted her help, her guidance. And she told me to come right over so we could talk it out.

I'd spent the majority of the weekend ignoring most of the world and resting because that was exactly what the doctors had ordered. I was not to overexert myself in any way, so I took their orders and plopped in front of the TV for most of it. I did share a few texts with Edward, assuring him I was okay, and would talk to him Monday as I had to stay home. That was until late afternoon on Sunday. Dad told me, since I was feeling better, it would do me good to go out and see Alice. He actually seemed sort of happy about it.

So now, after she was sitting, I looked her dead in the eyes.

"I've been sick like this for a while, most of my life actually. And when something like this condition lasts this long, it becomes a part of your life, a way of life." I sighed. "Alice, believe me, I want to share everything with him. You have no idea how hard it is to not, but-" I stopped, shaking my head. "I just can't do that to him because if he gets in too deep and it ends badly..." Fat tears began to fall out of my eyes and I gasped trying to get my emotions under control.

She pulled me into her warm, welcoming arms ."He'd understand," she assured me. "He cares about you…and you need to let _him_ make that decision, Bella."

I blew out a breath. I knew that if I was going to continue anything with him I really did need to sit him down and let him in. But I was still trying to decide if that was really what I wanted. What if he decided it was too much? How would I let him go?

Edward was so special and that was the only reason I was even considering not continuing a friendship with him. I didn't want him to have to endure that kind of pain later on.

"I'll think about it," I told her softly.

The next day I had school and as I got ready, I knew I had to face the music with him. At least get back to where we were before last Friday.

He was waiting there in the circle of our friends when Alice and I arrived. I was coward though, I desperately wanted to run back to the car and hide. But, no, that just wasn't an option.

I took a deep breath and at Alice's prodding, I strode across the tarred expanse. And instead of beating around the bush, I decided to make my way over to him first. Alice had spent most of the drive over assuring me that the Rachel and Rebecca threat had been resolved. What that meant exactly, I wasn't entirely sure. But as long as they didn't bully me again, I didn't care.

"Hey," I said with a timid smile, drawing his attention. He didn't look mad, thank God, but then I knew that Alice had talked to him and told him to give me time…that I was dealing with a lot and to trust me.

"Hey baby," he spoke softly, dropping an arm around my shoulder. "God, Bella, I was so worried, are you sure you're okay?"

I smiled. "Yes, I'm fine." I wrapped my arms around him as he hugged me tight. "We'll talk later, all right?"

He nodded and kissed my forehead.

We all caught up about the weekend and somehow, I managed to get out of having to talk about my incident. The way Alice talked about it; she made it sound like I was going to be the talk of the school. But no one had said anything about it yet; I figured they didn't want to upset me any further since they all knew it had to do with Edward's ex. I was hoping I would be able to fade into obscurity now that the situation was mostly known.

That afternoon I had to head home for a late in the day doctor's appointment. So, when Edward asked me over I had to decline. He was a bit upset, but said I could make it up to him later.

Tuesday went about the same. Except the wind was whipping around like crazy and the temperatures had dipped down into the forties. I guess that was what you had to expect living in New England at the end of October. Edward did ask how I was throughout the day, but when I would quickly answer that I was okay, he left it at that. He was acting kind of distant, and I knew we were going to have to talk soon. I was just trying to find the courage to do it. He didn't invite me over again though, but I did overhear him chatting with his sister about having to pick her up from cheer practice. So, I assumed that he wouldn't have had time anyway.

Wednesday started off without a hitch. It was dreary and the air was especially frigid though. Alice was laughing at me as I complained about how cold I was, as I shivered and frowned. She told me that I wouldn't know what to do when winter finally came around and the snow started to fall. I guess she was right. I hadn't really had a lot of experience with cold weather. I huddled close to Edward and let him warm me up in his cozy embrace, as we waited for the bell to ring.

Alice walked with me to my classes, as she had taken to as of Monday. I didn't miss it, that she wouldn't leave me alone, but if we weren't going to talk about it, then I was fine with that. I'd had enough drama for a while.

I made it to lunch without incident, it had been a good morning, but I was relieved to be with Edward finally. We held hands as we ate together and just before we finished lunch, I picked up on what the others were talking about. A party.

"Are you guys going?" Emmett asked through a mouthful of food.

_Us? _Together? Like Edward _and_ me?

"Are you feeling up to a party?" Edward asked me quietly.

"A Halloween party," Alice clarified.

I thought about it for a moment and honestly, I felt okay. That hadn't changed over the past few days. So, I figured as long as I got Dad's consent I was sure it would be fine.

"Um," I hesitated, wondering what a real party would be like.

"Oh, come on Bella, we can go out tonight and get costumes. And then Friday, after the party you can sleep over," Alice offered, bouncing in her seat.

"All right, sure," I murmured smiling, still feeling uneasy about it. But it did seem like it would be fun and I felt I deserved some fun with my friends.

"Yay!" I heard her squeal as Edward squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"We'll make sure you have a great time, Bella," Em told me as Sarah grinned at me. I guess they were back together for the moment.

Either way I didn't have long to dwell on it. The bell rang a moment later and we were all off to our classes. I kept my hand in Edward's as we moved through the halls. And when he bumped in to Rachel, I didn't miss the icy glare he gave her.

She was quick to apologize to both of us before moving out of the way.

"So, I guess you're busy now tonight," Edward said quietly once we'd taken our seats.

"Yeah."

"That's too bad, I was hoping I would get to see you and that we could talk."

I wanted to immediately text Alice and cancel, but I knew we really didn't have another chance to get costumes, so it was now, or never.

"I'm sorry, what about tomorrow night?" I wondered softly.

He shook his head. "I have to help my dad so I can be free this weekend. It's okay, I guess we'll have Friday, right?" he questioned, giving me a look I hadn't seen before. He seemed almost confused.

But either way, I was going, so I nodded.

He gave me a small smile and we both got our books out as the rest of the class began to file in.

***TT***

"Ah Ali, I don't think I could ever wear this," I muttered handing it back out to her through the dressing room door.

The costume, what was seemingly supposed to be a harmless waitress, was more like something you would see on a dirty movie. I was definitely not okay with that kind of outfit. And besides that, there was absolutely no coverage up top. I needed coverage and lots of it.

I redressed and we scoured the racks for something that would fit my needs. But everything that seemed like it would work was deemed a 'no' by Alice.

"I have an idea," she said picking up an outfit that, by the picture, looked more or less risqué.

"What?" I wondered.

"Well, you really have no issue with showing some leg, right?"

"Yeah, I guess not." I shrugged.

"And you'll wear some "fuck me" heels?" She waggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah…" I laughed.

"So, if we take this one, it's a two piece. You can ditch the top and wear the bottom. I've got a great idea for a top."

I threw her a look, but conceded since I really wanted to see what she had up her sleeve.

Alice grabbed the costume that she'd been eyeing for herself and we quickly headed for the counter. After that we went to another store further down in the mall. It offered flashier clothes than I would ever buy. But when Alice located the black and yellow sequined, high-neck, tank top, I smiled.

"That's fucking perfect," I murmured and she grinned.

"I told you Bella, stick with me, baby, and I'll take care of you."

***TT***

Thursday passed quickly and before I knew it I found myself setting a time with Edward and Alice of when we would be at Jasper's. I guess the party would be there, since it was his parents that were out of town. Either way, I was granted permission to go. Dad actually seemed excited for me that I was going to a real high school party. But he did also remind me of my limitations. I swore to him that I wouldn't take any chances. I knew alcohol was a big no-no.

Alice wanted us to get ready at her house after school, so when I left my house in the morning I made sure I had everything with me to get ready and for our sleepover later.

I was honestly quite excited about it.

Alice seemed to be too.

I was gratefully the day passed just as quickly as yesterday had, and before I knew it, I was in Alice's kitchen chair getting my hair curled. She insisted that down and flowing curls was the way to go. She even had me sit to put some make up on.

"It's Halloween Bella, you need to have a little more than normal," she told me pointedly; she was so serious about that stuff.

"Okay, just don't let me look too…much, you know?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

And once my beautiful make up and hair was done, it was time to change. Alice went to work on herself while I excused myself to the bathroom.

In there I slipped on the tank top and skirt. The tank offered thick straps and was high enough that it kept everything covered. And the skirt, while short, didn't make me too uncomfortable. I was glad that I was short and had slim legs.

I slipped on the black nylons that Ali had added to the outfit for warmth and stuffed my feet into the shiny, black high heels.

Once I was finished, I stood staring in the mirror wondering who the hell was staring back at me, because I didn't look anything like myself. Although, I had to admit I liked what I saw.

Actually, I really liked it, but of course, I wondered if Edward would as well. I was meeting him there and I worried about his reaction for a few moments before I worked up the courage to step out of the bathroom.

"What do you think?" I asked shyly.

Alice whipped around and stared for a moment before a huge grin split her face. "Fucking awesome!"

I smiled back and breathed a sigh of relief. She was ready too, going as a sexy lady bug. She said we could be insect buddies, considering I was going as a "hot bumblebee." It felt juvenile, but I guess it was what people did for the fun of Halloween. So I rolled with it.

I had to admit, Alice looked really good; she was so pretty.

She helped me slip on my wings and we grabbed our phones before going down to show her mom.

She thought we looked cute, but reminded us to put our coats on before we left.

"All right, time to head over there, ready?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. "As I'll ever be."

* * *

**Alright, can you sort of see where Bella is coming from now, by not telling Edward?**

**Who loves Alice and her comforting friend ways?**

**I wanna snuggle with a warm Edward right about now... **

**Oh and who thinks Bella is going to have a blast at the part-ay?! **

***evil grin***


	18. Party!

**Thank you ever so much to MC for being an awesome beta that she is.**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 17**

**EPOV**

Jasper's was fucking packed. There were costumed people everywhere. But even when I glanced around, I couldn't find my girl. Alice promised me I wouldn't be able to miss her, so I knew she couldn't be here yet.

"Hey man, have you seen the girls yet?" I asked, once I weaved through the crowd and found Jasper who was dressed up as Dexter. It was one of his favorite shows. I gave him props on his costume, because it required actual work, unlike Emmett's lame ass ghost, which was really just a fucking sheet draped over his meathead.

He was just beginning to shake his head as the back door opened and two of the most beautiful young women I had ever seen walked in.

"There they are," he murmured before letting out a low whistle that made Alice grin like a fool.

"God damn," I muttered.

Yeah, Bella and I still had some shit to talk about, especially regarding the fact that she had gotten an ultrasound, but either way, she'd had a rough couple of weeks and definitely deserved one night of fun before we sat down and discussed everything. After some thought, I knew I had overreacted about Bella being pregnant, I knew she wouldn't be with me if that was the case, but I still had no idea what the hell was going on with her, just that I had the feeling it was health related.

I walked over to my little honey quickly and wrapped my arm around her tiny waist, pulling her close to me.

"Hello beautiful," I whispered, leaning down to kiss those sweet cherry-red lips.

We'd already gone public in my mind. She kissed me in the hallway, the day of the incident. So yeah, it was as official as it was going to get.

She eagerly kissed me back and her warm, little hand slipped up to my face, making me feel like I was the only man in the world.

When we finally pulled away from one another she smiled up at me, nice and bright.

"So, who are you supposed to be?" she wondered.

"Jacoby Ellsbury," I told her simply. He was a great in the world of baseball and there was no way she wasn't going to know who he was…but then after a few minutes of silence I knew she had no idea.

Her brows fell together and the cutest look of confusion crossed her face. "Who?"

"Only one of the best outfielders in the game right now," I explained with a big cheesy grin.

"Oh, yeah, the Red Sox, sorry," she said softly.

"God, I really need to get you to a game. Spring opener, you and me, baby. That's just how it's going to be."

It was true, that was my plan. Usually Em and I would work our asses off over the winter to be able to afford opening day tickets, but this year I was going to be working for two. I wanted Bella there along with us. She needed to become familiar with my favorite game, since it didn't look like she was going anywhere, if I had anything to say about it.

"That would be wonderful," she told me with a huge smile that made me feel like I was the fucking best.

After that Jasper needed my help setting up a game of beer pong in the kitchen. So, reluctantly I spilt off from Bella and let her wander off on her own for a few minutes.

"Bella's looking mighty fine tonight, huh?" Jas asked as we pulled the chairs away and turned the table.

"Yeah, she looks fucking hot," I agreed.

I knew what he was getting at. Ever since he and Alice had gotten together he'd been after me to settle on one chick, so we could double date. But I never really went out with anyone that either of them cared to hang out with.

And now that I was sort of with Bella I knew he was going to be after me soon. Especially since Jasper loved to bowl.

"Her and Ali seem to be hitting it off too," he said offhandedly.

"Yeah, it's fucking great."

"Man, I think it's awesome, they're great together. And Ali isn't constantly bitching about the shallow sluts at school, thanks to Bella."

"Yep."

"Come on, just try it once. If you don't like doubling, you don't have to go again," he finally pleaded. "Ed man, it's time for _real_ girlfriend stuff. Let's take the girls bowling, it'll be fun."

But there was one problem... Bella and I weren't exactly official, so I was going to have to talk to her about a few things first. We definitely had some issues to clear up, like all the secrecy, before we could go further in a relationship.

"But bowling, really?"

"It'll be fun. Ali loves that shit too."

"Fine," I mumbled. "I'll have to talk to Bella, though."

"Sweet," he said as he finished setting up the cups.

I muttered my approval and headed back into the living room to find Bella. But she wasn't anywhere to be found. I quickly switched gears and decided to find her. After searching from room to room I found her in the den with a telltale red solo cup in her hand.

"Bella?" I questioned. Her back was to me, she had been reading the spines of the books in the Whitlock's little library.

She whipped around giving me a gorgeous grin before striding over to me.

"Hey handsome," she whispered, running her free hand up behind my neck.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I ask, confused. I really didn't feel like here was the best place to out her secrets, whatever they were, but shit, there was no way I could stand there and let her drink in front of me. I knew something serious was going on with her and that she shouldn't be drinking alcohol.

"What do you mean?" she asked looking around.

Like she had no idea what the fuck I was talking about.

"I mean, that," I said pointing at her cup.

"What about it?"

"Do you think you should be drinking that?" I finally asked. Yes, there was a great possibility this could become a messy argument, but I was willing to let it all fall apart if it meant that Bella was doing the right thing for herself.

"Yeah, why?" she asked as a group of girls came wandering in.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the stairs. I knew right where Jasper's bedroom was and once we were up there, I swung the door open and led her inside it. I knew Jas wouldn't mind if I was using his room just to talk. Bella and I needed to clear up some things before this went any further and I wasn't about to do it where anyone else could hear us. I'd had enough of all the unanswered questions and trying to suppress my feelings and all that I wanted to know, hoping she would come clean on her own.

"What are we doing in here, Edward?" she wondered.

Just then I watched as she brought the red cup up to her lips.

"Put that shit down, now," I said sternly.

Again she looked confused, but set it down.

"Listen Bella, I know. I know and I don't think you should be drinking," I told her.

Her whole face changed, first she looked petrified, then she looked like an enraged bull. I could see the anger beginning to build and as much as I would like to say this wasn't what I expected, it was.

"What exactly do you know, _Edward_?"

I swallowed and collected myself.

"I know that something serious is going on with you, Bella," I said quietly. "I want to know what the fuck it is, now. I know you had an ultrasound, and I'll admit, at first I thought you were pregnant-" I stopped talking when Bella screamed, "What?!"

Then I watched as she began to start laughing. And some sort of relief crossed her face. In my mind I couldn't understand her reaction or her blatant disregard for my feelings. She was laughing at me when I'd been nothing but patient and placating with her.

"This isn't funny Bella, not one fucking bit," I spat.

She got quiet all of a sudden…and looked like she was waiting for me to say more.

"Bella, do you have nothing to say?" I finally asked, feeling better that I'd finally gotten some of my thoughts off my chest.

But she started cracking up again and I was pissed. "Edward, first, you do realize that I would've had to have sex to be pregnant, right? And I was pretty sure you got that I was…inexperienced."

I just stared at her for a few minutes then cracked a smile. She was right it was kind of funny. Then I realized exactly what she'd just told me.

Not only was Bella _not_ pregnant, but she was a virgin.

"W-what?" I questioned.

"You heard me, I'm certainly not about to repeat that kind of information." She blushed. "I know we haven't discussed our pasts, Edward, but I know you are much more experienced than I am, and I just assumed that you understood that."

"Well, yeah, I guess when I think about it, but Bella, I met Ashley in the hallway the day you left school in the ambulance. She told me who she scanned. She gave me your name, not having any idea I knew you." I waited for her to say something but she just looked at me with a multitude of expressions crossing her face. "Bella, I've fucking had it, what the hell is going on here?" I asked, suddenly realizing I was getting pretty fucking close to the end of my rope.

"Huh, well that's just fucking great. I'll make sure the hospital knows that she's giving out patients' names and confidential information, because regardless, she can't be doing that." She took a deep breath; it almost looked like she was trying not to cry. "But other than that, some things are better left unsaid, Edward. You know? So, um…thanks for caring, but really, it's so not worth it. _I'm _so not worth it, I assure you. Look, I've got to go," she ended up whispering, before turning on her heel and heading out the door.

I stood there gaping, because there really wasn't anything else I could do.

* * *

**So Bella's leaving, she feels threatened and she's heading out the door... will he stop her, follow her, what do you think?**

**So he found out a little bit about her, but not everything that he wanted, what do you guys think their talk?**


	19. Welcome to My Home

**Thank you to MC for Beta'ing this mess! LOL**

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 18**

**EPOV**

After the shock wore off and I'd cleared my head, I hunted down Alice, because there was no way I could leave things as they were. That just wasn't right. Bella was not running away and avoiding me again. I was done with that shit. She needed me, I knew it, and she was gonna have me whether she liked it or not.

"Ali, I need to know where she is…now. Did she go home or is she at your place?"

"What the fuck did you do to her?" she questioned seriously.

"Nothing, she just overacted to some of my questions!"

"You dick! You went snooping, didn't you?"

"Alice, I didn't fucking snoop, but Ashley, the ultrasound tech at the hospital, unintentionally mentioned that she had scanned Bella last Friday. And I know something's wrong with her, so when I saw Bella drinking what I thought was beer, I asked her if she was sure she should be doing it. Then she told me that she wasn't worth my worry; she fucking flipped out on me for caring and then left. I didn't do anything wrong. God, Alice, I need some fucking answers here!"

She just stood there shaking her head. "You fucked up, big time, Edward," Alice told me.

"Thanks, your support is great," I bit sarcastically. "Now, if you're done shitting on me, can you text her, please? Clearly, we need to talk and I need to make things better."

"Edward, why don't you wait for her to come to you?"

"Because I don't think she'll come to me. She's been sidestepping my questions and now… She told me that she wasn't worth caring about, Alice, which is complete bullshit and really worries me," I explained, my frustration evident.

"Fine," she muttered before pulling out her phone and quickly firing off a text.

I watched as her phone buzzed in response.

"She's at home," she informed me. "But I don't think you should go there."

"Yeah, yeah, I already know about her dad. Don't worry. I'm gonna go figure this shit out. Either she talks, or I am fucking done."

I quickly hopped in my car and sped my way over to her building. There was no way that I was just going to stand idly by when she was hurting. I wasn't sure what exactly I'd stumbled upon, but Bella and I were about to talk about it.

I reached her building and quickly went inside the lobby, looking at the mail boxes, but then I noticed the security guard sitting at a desk, so I walked over.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I'm Edward Cullen, and I'd like to see Isabella Swan, please."

He picked up the phone and spoke softly, then a few seconds later he told me I was cleared and to go up to 4C.

Once I exited the elevator and located the door, I knocked several times, waiting for someone to answer it.

There was nothing for a few minutes, but then I heard someone yell out to me from the other side of the door.

"Stay behind the mat!" I heard rattled off again, so I checked my feet and moved back off the mat.

I watched as the door slowly opened, only enough for her to slip out.

"What do you want?" she hissed at me, not even making eye contact.

I frowned a little at the fact that she had changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I felt a little ridiculous still wearing my costume pants, but it was what I had on and I wasn't about to worry about the clothes I was wearing when we had bigger things on the table to discuss.

"I just want to know what's going on, baby, please," I begged, taking her hands in mine. I was desperate. I loved this girl and there was no way I could let this keep going.

She shook her head. "I don't want to do this here," she murmured, before opening the door. "Why don't you come inside?" She finally glanced up at me, and she looked so sad and resigned.

I searched her deep brown eyes for a moment before nodding and following her into the condo. It looked and smelled like the hospital. There was a place to remove your shoes, and just from the front door I could clearly see three automatic hand sanitizer dispensers.

Bella really wasn't kidding when she said that her father was a germaphobe. He looked like he was pretty serious about it too.

"Do not, and I repeat, do not touch anything. Do you understand?"

The serious look on her face made every humorous thought quickly leave my mind.

"Yes ma'am," I told her, hoping to comply with her wishes properly so she wouldn't get in trouble for having me in her house.

"Take off your shoes and socks, then put these on. After that use the hand sanitizer and wipe the rest of your visible skin with a Lysol wipe," she instructed, handing me hospital booties, then she began to use the sanitizer before reaching for the wipes herself.

I went through the lengthy cleansing process that she had requested, and when I was finally standing in front of her wearing my booties, she grabbed my hand and led me across the living room down to the hallway and to what I assumed was the door to her room.

She let go of my hand and headed for the door at the end of the hall, knocking loudly.

"Dad, I have company, we're going in my room. Run the air purifier in two minutes," she hollered through the thick door.

"Okay," he bellowed back.

She turned back to me and waved for me to head into her room.

I'd be lying if I said a brief bout of excitement didn't flow through me as I entered Bella's bedroom. It was such a foreign place for me to be. I never really considered being able to go in her room. Not after I found out that her father was a germaphobe.

After we were in there though, I felt weird.

Bella had shut the door and then motioned for me to sit down.

"Bella, are you sure this is okay?" I asked as I began to look around.

"Yeah, it's good. He won't be coming out of his room knowing that I have company, don't worry."

I nodded with a slight grin and took a seat on the edge of her bed.

Maybe once I found out what was really going on with her I would be able to put that little piece of information to good use.

She was nervous, fidgeting with her hands, but she finally took a seat next to me. She crossed her legs, but she continued to shake them. I could tell whatever she had to say was big, maybe even life changing. But in the back of my mind, I kept telling myself that it was worth it.

We sat in silence while she tried to look at anything but me.

Finally, I turned toward her, reached out and took her small hands in mine. I needed the contact. Something to get me through the torture.

"So, are you going to tell me why you had an ultrasound the other day?" I prodded, hoping that my look of sincerity would give her the confidence she needed to tell me all about it.

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Yeah, completely," I said softly with a nod. "Bella, I care about you, I want to know what is going on with you, please, no more secrets."

"Okay," she looked into my eyes, "I'm sick."

* * *

**Okay, I know what you're going to say, where are the answers...Well you WILL have them next chapter! So this is your last chance to guess and speculate at what's going on with Bella! Have at it! I wanna hear them all! **


	20. Answers

**Thank you, MC, for being so awesome! **

* * *

**Tick Tock Chapter 19**

**BPOV**

"Okay," I looked into his intense, green eyes, I was gonna lay it all on the line, "I'm sick."

I sat there staring at him for a moment, waiting for his reaction, but instead he nodded for me to continue and I tried to gather my words. This would be the first time that I had to explain the whole, unedited story to someone. Usually, my mom or my dad would handle it. And even with Alice, the doctors and my dad took care of a lot of it. I just answered some of her more personal questions later on.

"I'm sick," I began again, because I guess that was the best place to start. "I've been sick for a long time. But it's not like a cold that will just run its course. And it's not like cancer, where there's a treatment and then that's it."

I swallowed the emotion in my throat and didn't even attempt to look up at Edward. There was no way I would make it through the rest of my story if I looked at him. My confidence was already on the verge of breaking.

"When I was born, the doctors took me away immediately because they knew something was very wrong with me. My mother and father had no idea what on Earth was going on. And the doctors didn't really have any answers until a few days later," I said, taking a shaky breath.

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath trying to stay calm.

"It turns out that everyone is born with a hole in their heart; did you know that?" I asked Edward quietly, but still didn't look up at him.

He cleared his throat too, and I could tell even without looking at him that my story was getting to him.

_Great…here comes the pity._

"Yeah, that sounds familiar," he murmured.

"Did you also know that it's only supposed to be the size of a pea and heal up almost immediately when you're born?" I questioned.

He quietly agreed again.

"Okay, well, mine didn't. I was born with an atrial septal defect – ASD for short. In simple terms, that meant the hole in my heart was allowing blood to flow between my left and right sides of my heart. Now, this is bad because the two sides of the heart do two very different things and when you mix them like that, it can be deadly."

I took another breath and steeled myself.

"But I was too small for the surgery I needed then. They wanted to wait until I was three. And the doctors said with the right monitoring that I would be just fine. At eighteen months, though, I went into cardiac arrest; I had emergency surgery to repair the hole in my heart. During that surgery they discovered that I also had mitral valve prolapse - MVP. Simply, it's when the valve that separates the upper and lower chambers of the heart does not close properly. They couldn't fix it then. So, instead they stitched me up and sent me home. They said that with the proper care, I should be fine to live a normal life."

"My God, Bella, that's insane," he said, pulling a hand through his hair. "Jesus, baby, you've been through so much hell."

I nodded, but I wasn't even half done yet. He was going to need a defibrillator when I was finished.

"Yeah, and for the most part I _was_ good. Until I was five. Right around my birthday. It slowly got harder and harder to breath, before my mom ended up rushing me to the hospital one day. That pesky prolapse had widened significantly and was essentially flooding my heart," I explained, fiddling with the bedspread.

"After that, it was another surgery and a few months of recovery. Then I was pretty good again. I played and made friends. Even went back to school. Mom was happy and so was I. Dad would come down quite often and visit. It was a nice childhood, really, I had no complaints. That was all the way up until I was twelve. I'd been seeing a heart doctor regularly, and while I hadn't gotten too much worse, they were still concerned. But either way, they told my mother to raise me like any other child. And when I was playing soccer one day, I collapsed."

"Oh shit," he muttered and I heard him swallow.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was exactly what my parents were thinking. It was the first time my father got on a plane for me. And just as he arrived, I was rushed into emergency surgery…again. The patch from when I was eighteen months had failed. And when it did, the leak I had, it became enormous. Blood from my heart went straight to my feet."

"Wow," he breathed.

I swallowed again, fighting back the tears as I remembered.

"So, this one was the worst. My heart was weak and it was a long and tedious surgery that wreaked havoc on my body. The recovery was even worse. And when I was finally up and around, the doctors had a grim outlook. They didn't think I had long... So, instead they said to minimize my excitement and keep me from getting sick. In turn, that meant from age twelve to age seventeen, I lived in my mom's apartment. Only leaving for appointments, and if it was absolutely needed. I was lucky, though, because I could at least continue my education by studying online."

"Holy fuck."

I nodded and swallowed again.

"Then my dad made friends with some pretty good people in the cardiac portion of the hospital here. People who could possibly give me a brighter prognosis. Dr. Denali for one. She was able to convince my dad to bring me up to Boston, let her take care of me, and to send me to public school. To get me living life, no matter what. But I am monitored very regularly."

"Jesus Christ, Bella, you almost died like three times," he whispered, pulling at his hair again.

"Maybe, but I'm okay. Not perfect, but I'm doing everything I need to, to stay healthy. It's just not something I like talking about. It is what it is, I am dealing with it the best I can, and I don't need everyone knowing about my problems."

"I just don't see why you would be embarrassed by that," he said, squeezing my hands. He'd taken them again, clearly needing the same closeness that I needed.

"Eh, maybe some would say it's stupid. But I just don't want special treatment, if I can help it, or constant pity. I hate that. I'm tired of it. The pity, those looks, and heaven help me, but if one more person says 'you poor thing', I will kick their butt."

He chuckled at that and thankfully it brought some lightness between us. Something I never thought would happen. Not after I poured out my heart and soul to him.

"Oh baby, I won't ever pity you. I just don't want to lose you," he said softly. "I love you."

That was the first time my eyes met his since we'd sat on the bed. Yes, they were stormy, as I'd seen them before, but now there was a sadness behind them. That and sincerity. He loved me. This guy, who I never thought would mean anything more to me than a friend, loved me.

And I loved him too. I knew it now.

"I love you, too," I whispered.

He quickly pulled me into his arms where I started to cry. I didn't know if it was the nerves from having to finally reveal myself, or if it was the fact that I was reliving some of the worst parts of my life. But either way, I was bawling like a baby and Edward was there, holding me, comforting me, loving me.

I wasn't sure how it happened, but apparently I fell asleep with him holding me. And honestly, it felt so right.

* * *

**And there you have it. Answers. **

**Bella is still sheltered, as you know now. So give her some time. **

**What do you think Sweetward will do next? Pity? Love? Do they mix? **


	21. Scar?

**Thank you to MC for being an amazing Beta! **

* * *

**Tick Tock 20**

**EPOV**

I woke up with a nose full of brown hair matted against my face. There was a petite, warm body snuggled next to me, making me harder than I had ever been in my life.

I wanted to roll her over, let my palm sneak a quick feel of her breast, but I resisted. I was sure her pussy was pretty, and if I could just slip her jeans off, I would be able to see. She was so fucking sexy and her scent, it was driving me insane. I couldn't help myself, so I let my hips rock against her for a moment, before I let out a low groan. Her ass was amazing.

But as persistent as my erection was, it slowly faded when my mind went to our conversation from last night. Bella was sick, she had become my world in such a short amount of time and now, I had no idea how long I would have with her.

I stilled as she rolled over and buried her face into my neck, snuggling even closer into me.

She was perfect, no matter how flawed her body was, I loved her. And after thinking about all of the possibilities and consequences that came with continuing a relationship with Bella, I decided there was just no way I could stop loving her now. I was all in.

"Hey Bella?" A gruff voice that I remembered as Bella's father's sounded from the other side of the door.

I gulped as I stared down at my sweet, sleeping angel. I had no choice but to wake her, because I was fairly certain her father was going to kill me if he found me in her room.

"Bella, sweetheart, can you wake up for me?" I whispered, while trying to shake her gently.

She blinked her eyes open and smiled at me, making that erection come back in full force. I fucking wanted her, bad.

"Bella?" her father called again through the door.

I watched as Bella's eyes went wide and she stared up at me for a second before quickly pulling away from me and standing. "Yeah Dad," she called, sleepily.

"Can you come out here for a minute?" he asked, sounding mildly upset.

"Shit," I whispered. "My shoes are out there, he knows I'm here," I told her quietly.

Bella nodded, before shaking her head. "It's okay, don't worry," she murmured before turning her attention back to the door. "Coming right out, Dad."

She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror before slipping out. I listened carefully for a moment, but there was no yelling or raised voices. I did, however, hear my name said a few times, before Bella was back in the room, looking happy and peaceful.

She climbed back on the bed, kneeling over me, before kissing me soundly on the lips. I was still in shock and waiting for her dad to come in and kick my ass.

"Bella, wait a sec," I said, pushing her back a little. The girl was attacking me, when I was about to die.

"What?" she questioned.

"What did your father say? He knows I'm still in here, right?" I wondered. "That I stayed the night?"

"Yeah, he's okay with it. I told him that you know everything now. And he knows that I'm aware of my limits, and he trusts me, so he's fine with you being in my room."

I took a deep breath, well, it looked as though I had assumed right. She had limits, now I needed to know what they were and how strict she had to be with them.

I placed my palms on her shoulders and guided her back until she was sitting on the bed, before wrapping an arm around her waist. I wanted to make sure, that while I was pushing her off of me, I no way wanted her to feel like I didn't want her. Because I did, that much was beyond fucking obvious.

"We need to talk about your limitations, especially if we're going to continue…this," I breathed out. I had just realized that Bella and I hadn't made anything official, other than a kiss in the hallway at school, and one at the party; I hadn't asked her to be my girlfriend, yet.

Her eyebrows fell together. "I don't know what you mean?"

"Do you remember last night?" I asked, staring into those beautiful brown eyes. "I told you I loved you, and I meant that, more than you could ever know. I want you to be my girlfriend. And if we're going to be together, than I think I should know just what your limitations are exactly." I gently touched her cheek and spoke softly, "Besides that, I want to know everything, baby: meds, history, how everything looks now, all of it. I want to know you, and that's all a part of who Bella Swan is."

She looked shocked and maybe even a little annoyed for a moment before she calmed down and began to explain everything in detail.

Bella wasn't allowed to play sports; she couldn't run or do anything physically exerting at all, certainly no horsing around either. And of course that meant, no fooling around, not that I was disappointed, I just felt bad for her that she had to live a life of such strict limitations like that. However, she also mentioned that Dr. Denali was loosening the reins on everything. The good doctor gave her the green light on watching comedies, and even was the one who convinced her dad to let her go to public school.

She said that while her condition hadn't improved since she started all of these changes, she hadn't deteriorated too much either. But regardless, her heart was weak and it was something that wasn't likely to change.

"I can understand if you're not interested…in pursuing this," she said motioning between us, after I had spent a few moments digesting all of it.

"Why wouldn't I be interested?"

"Well, because…because I can't have sex," she whispered as her cheeks flooded with a blush. She was a fucking sight. Gorgeous and so fucking innocent.

"Bella, let me make something clear to you right now. I'm really not some raging, hormonal teenager. Okay? I may get a stiffie at the sight of you in a tiny skirt, like last night, or just being near you, but it doesn't mean that I need to have sex." She giggled through her teary emotions, and I smiled in return. "I love you and even if that means I never get to be with you that way, I'll take it."

It wasn't a load of horse shit either, I meant every goddamn word. Bella had walked into my life and stolen my heart and that was something I couldn't change. I sure as hell wasn't willing to walk away because of a few relationship limitations. I'd already made up my mind, no matter what, I was in for the long haul.

I wiped tears from her eyes as she sat there, and then she hugged me.

"It's okay, baby," I whispered, pulling her closer.

She calmed and when I pulled her back just a little to have a good look at her sweet eyes, I knew what I was seeing, her love, her soul, everything. It was all there, just for me.

"I love you so much," I whispered before closing the gap and pressing my lips to hers. I wanted to show her just how much I loved and cherished her.

I wanted her to see just how much I wanted her.

And when my tongue slipped between her pouty lips I reveled in it. I enjoyed the sensations of her moaning and grasping at my hair. She was a wild one and she didn't even know it.

She crawled slowly back on top of me while my hands found their way to her small waist again, gripping it, feeling her, and kissing her all at once. It was almost too much, as sad as that was to say. But I fucking loved it.

She pulled her mouth off of me after a few moments, staring down into my eyes. "Do you wanna see it?"

"See what, beautiful?"

"My scar?" she breathed.

I couldn't think; nothing mattered except for the fact that this woman was finally opening up to me. She was finally letting me in, even offering to show me something so intimate as her scar. I quickly nodded.

And then she surprised me. Instead of pulling down the collar of her shirt, like I had assumed she would, she just took it off completely, tossing it aside, before breaking out in a sexy blush that covered her neck and cheeks.

I wanted to kiss her shyness away and tell her it was just me, there was no reason to be afraid.

But when she slowly dropped her arms that had been covering her chest, I saw her scar as well as the majority of two perky looking tits. They were round and full, and this was the first time I was witness to those sweet peaches.

I tried to focus myself on Bella's scar and not on her rack, reaching a hesitant finger up to the top of her chest tracing the scar the entire length, as if absorbing some of the lingering pain lying there.

"Damn," I murmured.

"It's not so bad," she told me.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head.

Finally, I reached the bottom of it, measuring about a foot long, my hand flattened against her ribs, floating over her smooth, soft skin, enjoying the feeling.

"Oh," she breathed, as I swept my fingertips over her flesh.

As my hand came up, it cupped her breast, feeling her for the first time. Her breath hitched in her throat. I could see her eyes as she began to zone out. And I just wanted to savor this moment, loving her innocence and being her first all at the same time.

"Please," she whimpered, but I had no idea what she was asking for.

Instead, I let our lips join together, sucking and nibbling on hers. Tasting her.

I slipped my tongue in her warm, welcoming mouth and swirled it with hers, dueling, sweeping and kissing her.

"Fuck," I mumbled against her lips, as I pulled her against me, grinding my erection against her, showing her just how much I wanted her. My fingers reached for the cup of her bra, beginning to pull it away, but just I did, I stopped.

"Shit, Bella," I gasped, after a few minutes of our heavy make out session. "Baby, you gotta stop."

My mind finally kicked in, telling me this was a very bad idea.

"Why?" she murmured, looking breathless.

"Because I don't want to hurt you."

"I can kiss you, really Edward, there is nothing wrong with kissing."

"No, I'm sure there isn't, nothing at all. Except for the fact that you are getting worked up. I'm sure that's not going to help anything."

"I'm fine, trust me," she breathed, trying to reposition herself.

"Bella, you're heart races when you get worked up. I don't want to be responsible for something I can't fix."

She huffed out a breath, but reluctantly sat up, scooting away from me. "You're right. I'll have to ask Dr. Denali about of it. Maybe she'll be able to give me some kind of heads up on what I can and can't do with you, you know?" she asked sweetly.

I nodded. "That sounds great, baby."

With that I looked up and saw that it was almost eleven o'clock in the morning. My mother was going to kill me.

"Bella, I have to head home," I told her after scrubbing my face with my hands.

"So soon?"

"Yeah, my mom is probably going nuts wondering where I am."

"Oh, okay, well then I guess I'll see you later, right?" she asked, looking nervous. She got up and retrieved her shirt, putting it back on.

"You bet, how does a movie at my place sound?" I suggested, walking over to her. A movie sounded pretty fucking good to me and we could be alone in my room.

"Sounds great, I'll walk you out," she offered before propping up on her tippy toes and kissing me again.

_God, I loved that. _

We walked out of her room and through the living room, before reaching the door. But I wasn't lucky enough to escape without seeing her dad.

"Hi Edward," he murmured from the kitchen table.

"Hi Mr. Swan," I returned.

"What did I tell you, it's Charlie, none of that Mr. Swan business."

"Yes sir," I told him.

"Heading home?" he asked as I plucked my shoes from the Rubbermaid bin.

"Yep."

"Well, I'll see you soon, I hope," he said giving me a serious look, one that definitely said, _"If you break my daughter's heart, I'll break your knees." _

"Yes, sir, I'll be by later to pick up Bella for a movie, if that's okay, that is?"

"It's fine. I'll see you then."

And with another rushed hug I was out the door and on my way home.

I finally pulled my phone from my back pocket only to see that I had a half dozen missed calls from my mother. She was going to be furious, but hopefully she would get the fuck over it by tonight because I might have just left her, but I wanted to see Bella again already.

When I finally got home, Mom was waiting. I'd hoped she would've been at her Pilates class or out with her friends, but no, she was right there in the kitchen when I walked through the door.

"Oh, so nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Edward," she muttered without even turning around. I swear, I didn't know how she did that shit.

"Hi Mom."

"Where were you all night?" she asked, finally turning around to face me.

"Jasper had a party, you know that."

"Yes, and Jasper kindly informed me that you left before ten. So, let me ask you again, where were you all night?"

"I stayed with Emmett," I lied because there was no way she would believe that I spent an innocent evening with Bella.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "If that was true, then why weren't you with Emmett when he dropped off Rose last night?"

I raised an eyebrow at her.

_What the fuck was Emmett doing driving my little sister around?_

"You didn't know? Rose went to Jasper's party last night."

"What the hell, Mom?"

"Edward, whether you want to believe it or not, your sister is sixteen and there is no changing the fact that she's growing up. Besides that, Emmett was nothing but a gentleman with her. Either way, though, this conversation is about you young man; so tell me, where were you last night?"

"I went to Bella's," I finally confessed.

She sighed and slammed the spoon down on the counter.

_Yup, she was pissed. _

"What did I tell you?" she sneered, before hollering to my father to get in here and talk to me.

While she was doing that I told her I needed a minute and headed upstairs to shower and change. He would take his sweet time about coming out of his office, anyway.

My mother hated that I grew up, even though she was much more okay with Rose becoming an adult. She definitely wanted to keep me her little baby boy for as long as she could and she just didn't fucking understand the situation. She was the same way with Rachel, when I was with her.

After a nice hot shower and some fresh clothes, I was feeling much better, and just when I was about to lie down and take a nap, I was being summoned.

"Edward, can you come down here, please?" my father bellowed from the foot of the stairs.

"Yeah." I sighed moving my ass down the hall.

"What's up?" I asked, finding them both sitting at the table in the kitchen. "I guess you wanted to talk about last night…" I desperately wanted to roll my eyes, but I kept myself in check. My parents did a lot for me and I knew they were just looking out for my best interests, so I was willing to listen to them.

"Have a seat, son," my dad said, pointing at the chair across from them.

I did as I was told and sat, waiting for the onslaught to begin.

"So, you spent the night at Bella's?" Dad asked, looking over at me with his cold blue eyes. I swear he had a one track mind when he saw me, med school, and that was it; I wasn't allowed to have a life beyond that aspiration.

"Yep."

"Did her father know you were there?" he continued.

"Yes, he was there, he knew I was too."

He hummed for a moment, before spiraling into the same speech he always gave me. "Edward, you know what a bright future you have, right? You know how luck you are, don't you? Why would you be willing to risk it for some _girl?_"

I took a deep breath, trying to swallow my anger that was steadily rising from the pit of my stomach.

"Okay, for one, Bella is not just a _girl_," I informed them. They needed to know that. "And two, believe it or not, everything that happened between us last night was nothing but PG. I assure you, you have no worries about grandchildren. Bella wasn't feeling well. I walked her home and we talked late into the evening before we fell asleep."

My father sighed, clearly not believing a word of it and my mother looked like she was fuming.

"Edward, we feel that you and Bella are spending maybe a little too much time together," Mom finally said as calmly as she could manage.

And while I respected her opinion, I didn't agree with it.

"Mom, Bella and I are together. We decided last night that we were going to try a relationship."

"Do you really think that's a good idea when you've got college just around the corner?" Dad asked.

_Ah yes, and we were back to that. _

"I can have a girlfriend and still go to college."

"We just think it will take time away from your studies," Mom commented.

"Yeah, and it's November; I don't leave for college until August of next year."

"I think what your mother is trying to say is that maybe you shouldn't get in too deep," Dad explained.

I slid out my chair, carefully standing before settling on the words in my head. "Just so you guys know, I'm eighteen; I've got a bank account full of possibilities, if you haven't forgotten. If, and I do mean if, I don't wish to go to college, I'm sure I'll be just fine on my own. You have to let me live my own life, and make some decisions on my own, please."

I wasn't trying to be an ungrateful little bastard, though I knew I was coming off as one, but they needed to understand that I loved Bella. I wasn't about to just cast her aside because in nine months' time I would be heading off to college.

I worked hard for the money I had in the bank and they made me save every fucking dime of it, so they knew I had an escape route if they pushed me too far. I didn't want that, and I did want a college future, but I also wanted to enjoy my senior year of high school before settling on a life course dictated by them.

Bella had become a part of me, my soul, and there was nothing anyone could change about that. I was going to have a relationship with her, regardless of what that might entail in the future, and my parents were just going to have to accept it.

* * *

**So now that most of you know, that I'm writing Bella from my own, personal experience, got any questions?**

**What did you think of them fooling around?**

**How about your feelings towards Esme and Carlisle? *Evil Grin***

**See you soon! **


	22. Christmas

**Tick Tock**

**Bella**

The first few months seemed to pass quickly. Edward was surprisingly great about everything. He didn't show any signs of pity, though he always wanted to be updated on all of my check ups. And he often chatted with my dad at length about everything involving my health. His concern was something I actually enjoyed. It showed how much he cared for me and that was wonderful.

Yes, they were buddies now. Weird, huh? Well, they still had yet to shake hands, but Dad had no problem with him being in the condo, and actually appreciated all of Edward's medical insight—from research. I did, too.

I was, gratefully, still holding Edward off from telling his parents about my condition. He was still trying to talk me into it every day, thinking that his father could use his connections to really help me. But as of right now, I was okay. Dr. Denali had just finished telling me that while I hadn't improved, I hadn't really gone downhill much, either…_much_.

I guess, no matter what, every day my heart continued to beat, it would put more and more stress on it and would give me less and less time. That was something I had understood since age twelve. God, while good, didn't make me to last. He had a plan for me, and it was short term. Whatever it was, I knew it was also something I'd come to accept.

Along with a wonderful fall semester of school, Thanksgiving came and went. I spent most of it with Dad, cooking us a nice meal, not wanting to leave him alone on a holiday. I also had to nap later in the day, so I could call Mom and talk to her for a while about her flower shop; she told how, because of the holidays, business was really starting to take off. After that I was still energized enough to sit through dessert with Edward's family, and I was lucky, I was able to hold his hand almost the whole time.

I had to admit I saw them staring, watching me, almost. And it made me wonder, why? What on Earth would interest them so much about me, so suddenly?

Not to mention that his mother had been kind of off to me. She ignored me most of the evening and only chatted with me when Edward had gone above and beyond to include me.

Dad told me I was just paranoid, thinking they were staring at me because Edward finally knew the truth. He assured me that Edward was a good boy and there was nothing to worry about.

I took Dad's word to heart. I appreciated his opinion, and honestly, one look at Edward told me that I felt the same way. It was wonderful finally seeing him sitting on my couch and having his fingers strung through mine. Dad was really okay with all that too. He knew I was well aware of my limits and he made sure that Edward was aware of them too. So he knew we would be good, that we wouldn't try anything that would cause me harm.

I was busy searching for my black tights. I wanted to look great for the evening. It was mine and Edward's first Christmas together. We were heading to his parents' house for dinner, while Billy and Jake were coming here to spend the evening with Dad. I was a little relieved that Dad wouldn't be spending tonight alone.

"Hey babe, are you almost ready?" I heard Edward's voice resonate from the other side of my door.

And even though I'd heard it time and time again, it still sent flutters rushing through my stomach. It was something that was inevitable with Edward; he always made me feel so special.

"Yep, I'll be right out," I told him as I finally got my hands on my tights. They were going to go great with my new red dress and sparkly heels. Alice had helped yet again, she was a really great friend, and I told her that, over and over. Without Alice and her support, I really wasn't sure where I would be right now. I was very grateful to have her in my life.

I grabbed the gift she helped me pick out for Edward and stuck it in my purse.

I checked my hair one last time before finally stepping out into the living room, where I found Dad, Jake, Billy, and Edward all chatting with smiles on their face.

The image was beyond pleasing and I couldn't stop my mirroring smile in return.

"Hello, beautiful," Edward whispered as he came and put his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side.

Like usual, I felt cherished when I was with him; he made me feel like the center of his world. And because of that, I couldn't hide the blush that was flooding my cheeks at that moment.

"Hi," I replied shyly.

"Bella baby, look at you," my dad said in awe, getting up from his chair and crossing the room to me. "You're so grown up now. You look beautiful, sweetheart." Dad pulled me into a hug before kissing my forehead. "I just hope you remember that even if you look grown up, you know what obstacles you still have to face."

I quickly nodded before thanking him for his comments and kissing his cheek. He was my dad and no matter how prevalent my health was in my life, he still needed to remind me to be good.

Dad mumbled something to Edward then we said our goodbyes and were on our way.

"Mom and Dad are going to be so excited to see you," Edward told me on the way out to the car.

"I'm looking forward to seeing them too," I replied truthfully. Edward's parents had been busy lately, so the few times I'd been over since Thanksgiving, they were working and I'd missed them.

Edward held my door when I got out, and then quickly wrapped me in his jacket, pulling me close while we walked to the door. He probably didn't know it, but that single move, right there, had been enough to make me feel like the most important girl in the world, a feat that was not small. Of course, though, he had a habit of doing just that, sometimes several times a day.

Esme, as Mrs. Cullen liked to be called, greeted us at the door with a warm Merry Christmas, pulling us both into a hug. As she did the scent of a real, honest to goodness Christmas assaulted my nose. Real pine from the expertly lit tree in the corner, mixed with freshly baked pastries and pies. It was all so much, so good.

"You look wonderful, sweetheart," Esme told me, and I felt slightly emotional.

Mom and Dad always tried to make the holidays special for me when I was a kid, making sure there were loads of presents under the tree. They even had a family friend dress up as Old Saint Nick to come visit me, but I had to say that our house never smelt or even felt like Edward's.

Mom couldn't have a real tree in her condo because the visiting nurses always told her they didn't know what could be on the tree and what it would do to me, so even in Jacksonville we had a fake tree. And Dad, he wouldn't have a real tree, not in his condo. No way, no how: too many germs or bacteria. Plastic was all I knew, and while fake trees had come a long way in their time, they still never smelt like a real one; they never provided the same feeling that a real one did.

Honestly, just seeing one made me want to go throw on some footie pajamas and have a mug of hot cocoa. I felt like a little kid with no worries.

But nagging reality always cleared my clouded mind.

"Honey, Edward and Bella are here," Esme announced while I tried to pull myself out of my day dream of a childhood Christmas morning.

"You okay, baby?" Edward kissed my neck softly, while his mother had her back turned to us. He liked to do that, and I really liked when he did it. It was definitely enough to put me back in the present; that was for sure.

"Yeah, sorry," I mumbled as Mr. Cullen made his way around the corner and smiled at us.

"Hey you two," Edward's dad greeted us, shaking my hand. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Carlisle."

It felt weird calling him that, but he insisted upon it; there was no way I was allowed to call him Mr. Cullen, he had told me on our first meeting, just over a month ago.

I still wasn't comfortable around him, being a doctor and all. I was afraid he would be able to tell what was wrong with me with just one look, but thankfully, even if he did have a clue, he never said anything. And I always made sure my neckline never slipped, not letting him see my scars and weaknesses.

"Rose should be down in a minute; why don't we head into the living room to relax?" Esme suggested.

Once we were all sitting cozily on the leather couch waiting for Rose, I snuggled into Edward's side, enjoying his scent, breathing it in for later, when I would be in my cold bed, alone.

Even though I hadn't really ever had any sort of sexual experience, it didn't stop the need and desire to be close to Edward, to savor my time with him. I had to say, the tingling feeling between my thighs that began when he was close, made me _want_ something more.

But alas, I knew, nothing like that could happen.

Not yet at least.

The doctor told me that we needed to keep it PG until she could be more conclusive about my health status while incorporating sex.

When Rose did finally make it downstairs we sat around talking for a while, most was the Cullens reminiscing about past Christmases. Edward and Rose really got into it, letting me know about some of their favorite and disastrous holidays. It all sounded like so much fun, between the warm and fuzzy moments, the comedy of Carlisle being a terrible cook and always burning the turkey, it was perfect.

I loved hearing about Edward's childhood, even if it was only a glimpse at some parts; it was still wonderful that they shared it all with me.

Rose seemed quiet though, after she had finished laughing and sharing her side of things, she settled back into the couch, picking at pieces of lint. I wondered to myself what was going on with her. I'd really never seen her so out of the ordinary. She was usually the first to drum up a conversation and was very vibrant when chatting.

"So Bella, how was your Christmas?" Esme asked after a while.

I told her all about it, and she didn't ask too many questions, for which I was sort of grateful. After that, she and Carlisle excused themselves to get some pie ready for everyone.

And as Edward headed up to his room for a moment, I looked over to Rose, who was still looking forlorn.

"Um—" I cleared my throat. "How was your Christmas, Rose?"

She looked up at me with a grimace. "I got grounded."

I winced. "That really sucks…can I ask why?"

I wondered what on Earth could get someone grounded on Christmas.

"Mom came to wake me up, and I wasn't alone."

I swallowed the wrong way and had a coughing fit for a moment, all with my eyes bugging out. "What?"

She slid closer to me, lowering her voice. "You have to promise not to tell Edward," she began. "I spent the night with Emmett and Edward can't know."

"Holy shit," I squeaked out.

She pulled back a little. "I'm not that much younger than you, Bella," she murmured. "And I know all too well about Edward spending the night with you."

I blinked a few times. It was true; Edward had spent the night with me, but in a totally different context, I was sure of that. But I guess to the unsuspecting person, a teenage sleepover would look…exactly like what Rose implied.

"Uh," I stuttered. But just as I was about to try to explain, Edward appeared and I quickly remembered that Rose did not want him knowing about any of this. So I shut my mouth and clasped my hands together on my lap. I watched carefully as she peeled herself up from the couch and walked to the stairs.

My heart went out to her. In a way, I knew what she was feeling. I had a huge amount of unbridled passion that I wanted to let out on Edward, but I had to hold myself back so much. It was getting more difficult by the day.

"Hey, sweetie," he said softly, with a smile, before pecking me on the lips. "This is for you," he told me, placing a neatly wrapped gift on my lap.

I was left stunned. I had no idea he was getting me a gift, but I guess being the sweet guy he was, I should have expected it—this was still all so new for me. And for whatever reason, I blushed, sitting there staring at the gift.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I, uh, have something for you, too."

I dug it out of my purse and handed it to him. But he ushered me to open mine first. So I did.

Inside the box was a gorgeous, silver necklace: on it was a heart, with a small diamond at the corner of it. Simple and incredibly delicate, just so perfect.

I held it reverently in my hands as I turned back to Edward, gazing up into his shining eyes.

"Thank you…so much, Edward," I choked out, emotionally. "Would you put it on me, please?"

I moved my hair out of the way, and he gently clasped it around my neck, then kissed me softly, whispering against my lips, "You're welcome, baby."

"Now your turn," I told him, smiling.

It wasn't much, but I really knew he'd like it.

I watched as he pulled back the paper, staring at the few items.

"Sweet," he exclaimed. I knew how much he loved Red Sox stuff, so I got him a bumper sticker that he could proudly adorn on his car. And a Red Sox winter hat and gloves, along with a small book all about their stats. "Thank you, baby! I love it!"

He threw an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, then kissed me tenderly several times, thanking me all the while, until a throat cleared from the other side of the room. We broke apart only to see an annoyed Esme staring back at us.

"I was just wondering what kind of pie you two wanted," she snapped, sounding angry.

Edward, thankfully, answered for me, knowing all too well what I'd like. "Apple for Bella and I'll have some chocolate cream, thanks," he answered, shooting her a withering look that made me wonder what was going on.

After an uncomfortable dessert together, Edward decided to drive me home. While I would've preferred to go up to his room and watch a movie with him, I was still happy I got to see him and spend some time with him on Christmas. That was all that mattered to me.

And once we were at my door, he planted a searing kiss on my lips, leaving me a little breathless, for which he apologized for, but I waved him off.

_Totally worth it!_

That night I fell asleep, dreaming of my first Christmas with my sweet, handsome man.

_Best Christmas ever!_

* * *

**Thank you MC for working your Beta magic here! :)**

**So what did you think was up with Carlisle and Esme?**

**How about Rose?**

**And those Christmas gifts?**

**Next chapter is all ready, so leave me some love and I'll post quickly! **


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